Burning Bright
by Txstate1992
Summary: This is the sequel to my story The Fire Within. Ariana, James, and the gang go back for their sixth year at Hogwarts. Muggles and wizards are being killed by the new Dark Lord and Ariana is the only one who can stop him. Will she be able to do so in time? What happens when a secret threatens to stop her? Rated T for some language.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a sequel to my story "The Fire Within" so if you haven't read that, this story might be a bit confusing. I tried to fill in as many holes as I could for those of you who didn't read the first story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Alright now, enough of the formalities! Go ahead and enjoy the story! :)**

**Chapter 1**

The sky above me is a lovely azure blue. The sunlight peeks through wisps of clouds up above. Off in the distance are grey storm clouds. The wind lightly blows my waist-long, strawberry blonde hair as I sit on the warm grass and stare at the grey stone in front of me. It reads:

_Carter Alan Cass_

_1997-2012_

_The best friend anyone could ask for_

_Rest in Peace_

Carter had been my first and best friend at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had been killed, well murdered actually, by his own father a couple of months ago for refusing to turn me in to the Dark Lord. He had been killed right in front of me too. He had been like my brother and I blame myself constantly for his death.

"I know I haven't been here since your burial and I'm really sorry about that. I promise I didn't forget about you, I've just had a lot going on… You would be amazed at how different things are now, Carter. Since living with the Potter's, I've basically lost my American 'accent'. I'm even using the vernacular like a pro! I sound like a right Brit now!" I let out a chuckle.

I had been transferred here from Salem Academy last year after my dad was murdered. My mother had died when I was very young, so after his death I had nowhere else to go. I live with Harry and Ginny Potter, along with their three kids: Albus, Lily, and James. Their godson, Teddy, also lives with them. Carter's father had disowned him so James and I were going to try and talk Harry into letting Carter move into their house too, but we didn't get the chance since Carter died before the end of the year.

When Carter had first met me, I was completely American. I hadn't had the slightest accent, although Carter always said I did. Now though, I have a complete accent. James tries to take credit for my new accent, but it was actually hanging out with my roommates from Hogwarts that did it.

"I got selected to be a prefect this year too. I'm really nervous though. How am I supposed to lead and help a bunch of first years when this is only my second year at Hogwarts? I don't even know how to tell James… Oh! I don't know if I told you, but I'm dating James. I can imagine you laughing about that... I heard you were dating Astoria. She was really crushed when you died; we all were. I miss you Carter." I can feel tears welling up in my bright green eyes. "Carter, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't gone into the forbidden forest and fallen right into the Dark Lord's trap, you would still be here with us. We would be planning secret trips to Hogsmead and you would be planning dates with Tori."

By now I can feel warm tears rolling down my face. I reach my hand up and wipe them away. I absolutely can't stand crying; it makes me feel weak and vulnerable. I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around and smile weakly. The boy standing behind me has messy black hair and hazel eyes. He stands about six feet tall and wears a gentle smile. "Hey James."

He crouches down next to me. "Sorry to interrupt, but we really need to go now. It looks as though it's about to rain."

I nod and stand up. I place my hand on the grave stone. "Bye Carter. I will visit again, I promise. And I will keep my earlier promise to you, you can count on that." I turn away and wipe more tears away.

James reaches down and grabs my hand with a smile. We are about halfway down the street when the rain begins. It starts off light, but by the time we are almost to number 12 Grimmauld Place, the rain is torrentially pouring out of the dark grey sky and we are soaking wet. I laugh and pull James down for a quick kiss.

He smirks. "What was that for?"

I smile and shrug. I tug his hand and we keep walking. After about ten minutes, we finally arrive at Grimmauld Place. James slowly opens the door and turns the lights on.

"SURPRISE!"

I jump back and pull out my wand. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?"

A large group of people, mostly consisting of the Potters and the Weasleys, had jumped out from different hiding places throughout the house. I quickly put my wand away. I can feel myself starting to blush so I look to James, who is poorly trying to stifle his laughter.

Ginny, James' mother, walks up and gives me a tight hug. "Happy birthday dear Ariana! Were you surprised?"

I laugh sheepishly. "Just a bit…" How could I have forgotten that today is my birthday! Now that I think about it, James had kept me out of the house almost ALL day today. It makes sense now…

Ginny reels back from our hug as she feels the dampness of my clothes. "Merlin's beard! You two are soaked! Go upstairs and change this instant!"

James and I laugh and make our way upstairs. Once we get to the second floor, James grins to me then enters his room. I continue up the stairs to the fifth floor. I walk into my room and strip out of my dripping clothes.

I walk over to my closet and look at my clothing choices. I pick a red strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. It is a simple dress, just plain red, but it's one of my favorites. I wrap my wet hair into a towel and start on my makeup. I pick a silver eye shadow and a light pink lipstick. I finish off my eye liner and mascara then take the towel off my head. I pull out my wand and use the hot-air charm to dry it. I finish drying it and quickly put it into a slender braid. Now it's time to get into the dress. I walk over and slowly pull it over my head. Once it's on, I reach back and zip it up. The dress hugs my waist and flairs out at the bottom, falling right above my knees. I stand in front of the mirror and spin around. I let out a giggle as I look upon my refection.

The past few months had been great, which was unnerving; nothing in my life ever stayed normal this long. I refuse to think about that today though. _Today is my birthday and I will have fun damn it!_

Suddenly there I a knock at my door. I lean back and yell "Come in!"

I hear the door open an in walks Bella Cattertome, my roommate at Hogwarts and one of my really good friends. She smiles when she sees my outfit. "Ariana Brighton! You look gorgeous!"

I run over to her and give her a hug and say "You don't think it's too much?"

She lets out a laugh. "Ari, it's your sixteenth birthday. You can dress however you please!"

I smile and nod. "I guess you're right. Now let's go downstairs and party!" We exit my room and walk down the stairs cheerfully. As soon as we get downstairs, Ginny leads us into the kitchen. I take a seat next to James and grab his hand.

Ginny grabs a glass and taps it with her spoon. "I would love to say a few words about Ariana before we begin eating. I just want to say that I am so glad you moved in with us last year. You fit right in with us as soon as you showed up. You have shown exceeding bravery with everything that has happened in your life and I know you will continue to face challenges and struggles with bravery and knowledge. I love you very much Ariana."

I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks as Ginny sits down and everyone applauds her speech while looking at me with large smiles. I look at Ginny and smile. "Thank you Mrs. Potter. I appreciate everything. I love you too…"

She smiles largely. "Alright everyone, let's eat!"

I get through dinner embarrassment free. The same, however, cannot be said for my poor boyfriend. During dessert, Ginny burst into a story about when James was little and used to walk around in her heels. His face turned so red I was sure it was going to explode.

Now that dinner is over, all the teens are in the living room dancing while the adults are in the kitchen talking. I had opened presents after dessert and now we were having a dance party, which Freddie suggested.

The living room consists of Bella, Lily (She just turned 7 last week) , Al, Astoria (one of my other roommates and friends), Rachelle (my third roommate and also a friend), Freddie (Bella's boyfriend and James' cousin), Roxanne (Freddie's younger sister who apparently goes to Hogwarts also), Hugo (James' cousin who just turned 15), Rose (James' cousin and a sixth year Ravenclaw who I am just meeting for the first time tonight), Logan Radley (Rachelle's boyfriend), Lorcan and Lysander Scamander (Al's friends and James' pranking partners), and Teddy.

I am dancing with Lily, who is giggling and twirling, to a rather fast song when I see James across the room talking to Freddie. I finish my "dance" with Lily and excuse myself. I walk over to James and grab his hand. "You think you're clever, don't you?"

Freddie laughs. "I'm going to go find Bells, mate. She will probably want to dance soon."

James turns with a chuckle and wraps his arms around my waist. I respond by wrapping my arms around his neck. Since I'm only 5'1 it's a bit of a stretch for me. "Just a bit, yes. You should have seen your face, it was brilliant!"

I smirk. "It was probably the same as your face when your mother brought up you running around in her heels."

His smile drops and he shakes his head. "I can't believe she brought that up… It was bloody embarrassing…"

The music changes to something slow, so we slowly turn in a circle while we talk. I play with his dark hair as we dance. "I thought it was lovely! I've never seen you so red!"

He smiles and changes the subject. "You look beautiful tonight, you know that?"

"Thanks…" I murmur. I can feel myself blushing. "Jamie, I have something I need to tell you."

He nods. "What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing!" I say quickly. "I just wanted to let you know that I got selected to be a prefect this year. It's going to be me and Bella as prefects for Gryffindor this year."

"That's it? That's really exciting!" he says with a smile. "I have something for you. Come with me."

I let go of his neck and grab his hand again. He leads me up the stairs to his room. He holds my shoulders. "Stay right there and close your eyes."

I close my eyes and he releases my shoulders. I can hear him rummaging through his trunk for something, then he is near me again. "Okay now open your eyes."

He is standing in front of me wearing a large grin and holding a small box wrapped in gold with a red bow on top. I take the box from him and walk over to his bed. I sit on the bed and pat a spot next to me. He walks over and sits down. "You really didn't have to get me anything…" I say with a smile.

He laughs. "What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I didn't? Plus, I WANTED to get you this."

I lean over and kiss him on the cheek. "Well thank you." I pull on the bow and tug at the gold wrapping paper, revealing a white box. I pull the lid off the box and smile. Inside the box is a silver charm bracelet with three charms. One charm is a small, golden snitch. That's the position James plays for the Gryffindor quidditch team and the position Carter used to pat for the Slytherine quidditch team.

The second charm is a phoenix, which is the form my patronus takes.

The third charm is a small gold heart with a "J" on it. I gently pick up the bracelet and hold out my wrist to him. He puts the bracelet on and says "I know it's a little corny, but-"

I cut him off with a kiss. I lean back and smile. "I love it. Thank you!"

He lays back and laughs. "Okay good."

I lean over and lie on his chest, holding up my wrist to look at my lovely gift. He says "The heart is so you know that you will always have my heart."

I let out a laugh. "You're so sappy. I love it."

"Don't tell anyone. I have an image to protect!" he says with a chuckle.

Suddenly we hear "You two better not be shagging up there!"

I stifle a giggle. James slaps his hand to his forehead and yells "OH MERLIN! SHUT UP MOM!"

I hear the adults laughing downstairs. She yells back up "You two get your butts down here NOW!"

I sit up. "We are on our way!" I grab James' hand and pull him off the bed. "We should go before she comes up here and kills us." He laughs and we walk down the stairs.

Harry and Ginny have been really supportive of James and my relationship. Probably because they think I am a good influence on James. They really only have one rule since we both live together. We are not allowed in each other's rooms unsupervised. They don't realize that we break the rule all the time. We get to the bottom of the stairs and find Ginny with her arms crossed and tapping her foot.

James looks at her sheepishly. "Geez mom. I was giving her my present! No need to get all mental!"

She shakes her head. "You two know the rules…" She turns to me. "Sweetheart, I wanted to let you know that everyone's leaving."

I nod and walk away to bid everyone a farewell.

After everyone has left, I make my way over to Ginny and Harry. "Thank you for the lovely party. I absolutely loved it." I give them each a hug. "Do you need help with the clean up or anything?"

Ginny shakes her head. "Don't be silly! I will take care of the mess. You look exhausted. Why don't you head up to bed?"

I nod with a yawn. I hadn't realized how tired I was until Ginny had mentioned it. I turn and walk up the stairs, stopping at James' room. I knock on the open door and lean my head in. "I off to bed. Goodnight, I love you." I lean my head back out and get to the first stair before I stop abruptly. Did I really just tell James "I love you"? We haven't said that to each other yet! What the hell is wrong with me? Shit, what if I just scared him away? We've only been dating for a few months; I just probably freaked him out!

I turn back around wide eyed. James is standing in the doorway to his room with a look of shock.

I walk back toward him slowly. "James… I. Am. So. Sorr-"

He walks over and kisses me with a smile. "I love you too. Goodnight, I will see you tomorrow." He smiles again and walks back into his room.

I let out a sigh of relief and turn and walk up the stairs. I get into my room and change into my pajamas. I leave my hair in its braid and throw myself onto my bed. I pull the covers up over me and smile largely.

I had just told James that I love him. And he said he loved me too. I don't think things could get much better than this. My life right now is as close to perfect as it can get. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

**James' POV**

I am changing into my pajamas when I hear a knock at my door. "I'm off to bed. Goodnight, I love you."

I stop what I'm doing at look up at the door but she's gone. Did she just tell me that she loves me? That's huge…

I walk to the doorway and see her standing on the stairs with wide eyes. She starts slowly walking toward me and says "James… I. Am. So. Sorr-"

I rush over to her and kiss her with a smile. "I love you too. Goodnight, I will see you in the morning." I smile to her again then walk back into my room.

I hadn't really thought about the fact that I love her until she said it out loud. As soon as she did though, I knew I did too. I crawl into bed and lie back with a smile. I pull up my covers and close my eyes. As soon as I do, I fade into a deep sleep.

**Alright so I was helping my parents move today when I realized how I wanted thos story to go and this chapter to go. I just had to rush back home and write it ASAP! haha**

**So let me know what you thought about this chapter with a review!**

**As always, criticisms are welcome. :)**

**Thanks!**

**-Tx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 2**

**Ari's POV**

I look down at the shiny "Prefect" pin clinging to my vest then over to Bella. "Bells, I don't think I can do this…"

She laughs. "Ariana Brighton, McGonagall picked you for a reason! She obviously thinks you can do it, and so do I! Now let's go to the prefects meeting already!"

I look over to James, who is sitting across from me. He smiles. "You will be great."

I nod and follow Bella out of the train compartment to the front of the Hogwarts Express. We pass by the snack trolley and enter a compartment at the very front of the train. There is a large table with eight chairs around it. At the head of the table stands Christiana Corperatus and Teddy. She and Teddy were prefects last year, and Christiana had even unknowingly played a part in a prank I played on James last year. They both wear large badges that read "Head Boy" and "Head Girl". I look to Teddy and wave. He nods his head, his messy blue hair shining as he does.

I take the farthest seat and Bella sits across from me. Next to Bella is a girl with reddish-brown bushy hair. Her brown eyes are staring absentmindedly out the window, her full lips pursed. I smile and say "Hello Rose."

She jerks her head in my direction and smiles. "Oh! Ariana! I didn't see you there. I didn't know you are a prefect too!" I nod and she smiles again. "This will be loads of fun!"

We are the only five in the room for about ten silence-filled minutes, then the compartment door slides open again. We all look to the door to see who is coming in. It is a boy with black hair combed neatly to the side. He has stormy grey eyes that seem to take in the entire room with just one glance. His thin lips form into a smile as he sits next to me. He is in a white shirt and a black blazer with a green striped tie around his neck. I outstretch my hand and smile. "Hi, I'm Ariana Brighton."

He looks at my hand and smirks. "I know who you are. You're the American. Why are you talking to me?"

I frown and lower my hand. "Just trying to be polite, sorry."

The door to the compartment opens once again. Logan Radley, Rachelle's boyfriend from the Ravenclaw house, walks in and sits by Rose. I wave to him and he waves back. I turn to the boy next to me and gesture toward Logan. "THAT'S the proper way to greet someone. You might want to take notes."

He rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything. The compartment door opens once again and a blonde girl with hazel eyes and a scowl walks in. She sits next to the boy by me.

Following closely behind her is a tall girl with light brown hair pulled up into a ponytail. Her brown eyes scan the room and land on the spot next to Logan. She walks over and takes a seat quietly. Behind her is another girl who looks exactly like the girl who just walked in. She has the same light brown hair and brown eyes, but her hair is pulled into a braid. She sits down next to the girl and sighs.

Teddy claps his hands and says "Alright. Now that everybody's here, let's get started."

Christiana smiles at all of us. "Let's start by introducing ourselves. We will say our names and our houses." She places her hand on her chest. "I am Christiana Corperatus. I'm from Ravenclaw." Then she looks over to Teddy.

He smiles and says "I'm Teddy Lupin. I'm from Gryffindor." He then points to me.

I take a deep breath and stand up. "I'm Ariana Brighton… Gryffindor…" I sit back down and look at the boy next to me.

He stands and says. "I'm Landen Raghnall. Slytherine, of course." He takes a seat and the girl next to him stands.

"My name is Arowena Malevon. I'm from slytherine too." The scowl stays on her face the entire time. She sits back down and crosses her arms. The next ones to go are the twins.

The one with the braid stands up and says "My name is Haddie Talmon. I'm from Hufflepuff." She sits back down and looks to her sister.

The one with the ponytail stands and quietly says "I'm Hallie Talmon. Hufflepuff as well." She quickly sits back down and looks at the table.

Logan stands up and waves. "My name is Logan Radley. I'm from Ravenclaw." He sits back down with a smile.

Rose stands and says "Rose Weasley. Ravenclaw." She barely has time to sit down before Bella is up introducing herself.

"Bella Cattertome! Gryffindor!" She says cheerfully. She sits back down and laughs.

Teddy smiles. "Alright, now that we all know each other, let's get down to business."

Teddy begins to list off the prefect duties, but I'm not listening. My mind has wandered to thoughts of quidditch and James. I heard that there is a chaser position open this year. I haven't ever played chaser before, but I've read all about it, so I don't think it will be too hard. I think I want to try out. I wonder what James will think about that…

My thoughts are interrupted by a loud noise. I look at Bella who is getting up out of her chair. I follow her lead and rise from my chair. We walk out of the compartment and back to where James and Freddie are sitting. We get into the compartment and separate. She goes and sits by Freddie while I sit by James. I lean against him and he wraps his arm around me. He plants a kiss on my forehead. "How was the meeting?"

I sigh. "It was… good? I'm not too sure. I zoned out after everyone introduced themselves. Oh! Did you know Rose is a prefect too? So is Logan. Anyways, Bells. What did Teddy say we were supposed to do?"

Bella rolls her eyes and laughs. "Ari! You are bloody impossible! You're lucky I consider you one of my good friends. If you weren't, I wouldn't tell you what he said."

I smile at her. "You're a lifesaver!"

"I know." she says with a laugh. "Anyways, Teddy said that we are going to have to lead the first years to Gryffindor tower after the feast. He also said we have to do nightly patrols of the hallways to look for anyone out of bed past curfew. We need to be sure to wear our prefect pins during patrol too. Umm… Oh! He also said that if any of the first years have questions or get lost we have to help them. Nothing too bad."

I nod and smile. "You're the best, you know that?"

She smirks. "As a matter of fact, I do know that!"

The door to our compartment slides open. I look over and smile. "Hey Tori! Come on in!"

"I'm actually sitting with Rach and Logan, but I just wanted to come back and say hi to you guys!" She says with a smile.

Bella gets up and hugs her. "I want to go see Rach! Come on Freddie!" Freddie looks at us then gets up mumbling something about wanting to stay and his bloody girlfriend. I can't help but chuckle at him as he leaves. The compartment door slides shut, leaving me and James alone in there. I get up from the seat and dig through my bag. I am looking for my Advanced Runes Translations book. I managed to O.W.L. in everything I wanted; Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I even managed to O.W.L. in Ancient Runes. So now I'm taking those classes so I can take the N.E.W.T.s next year. I finally find it and pull it out of my bag. I look at James. "I'm going to study for a bit."

He sighs and says "Fine… I'm going to sleep until we get there."

I laugh. "Okay well at least let me readjust so that we are both comfortable!"

"What did you have in mind?" he says with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

I let out another laugh. "Shut up and stand up."

He does as I say and stands. I sit by the window and ball up my jacket. I take the jacket and put it on my lap then tap the jacket wad. "Okay. Now lay down."

He hops onto the seat and lies down, putting his head on the balled up jacket and closes his eyes. I hold my book with one hand run my fingers through his hair absentmindedly with the other. I only stop when I need to turn the page.

The compartment door slides open again and I look up from my book. Bella comes in and sits down on the seat across from us. I look out the window and see that it's now dark outside. The moon is a sliver in the black night sky. The stars twinkle brightly in contrast to the night sky. I can see the silhouettes of trees along the horizon.

I gently shake James awake. "Hey Jamie, we're almost to Hogwarts."

He yawns and stretches his arms out, putting one of his palms in my face. I push his arm down and chuckle. "Why Jamie? Why?"

He laughs and puts his arm down. He slowly sits up and leans over to give me a kiss. I put my hand up and say with a chuckle. "Don't come at me with that morning breath!"

He puts his hand over his chest. "Ariana Elizabeth Brighton, you wound me…"

"And your breath wounds me, James Sirius Potter!" I wink at him and kiss him on the cheek. Bella laughs at us.

The train lurches to a stop. Bella, James and I grab our things and walk off the train. We get onto a carriage with Rose and Freddie and sit down. I look to the front of the carriage and gasp. "James, do you see that? What is that pulling the carriage?" At the front of the carriage is a morbidly skinny black animal that resembles a horse. You can see all of its bones and it has weathered black wings folded to its sides.

He and Bella look to the front of the carriage. James frowns. "I'm not sure… I've never seen them before… Rose do you know what they are?"

She looks to the front of the carriage and says "I don't see anything… You guys are mental…"

I shrug and turn away. The carriage starts toward the castle, while we all talk about what the year might bring.

(Break)

After the sorting and LOTS of clapping, we are finally allowed to eat. I am piling food onto my plate and talking to Rachelle and Bella about where we want to go during the first Hogsmead trip. James is next to me, talking to Freddie about who they want to prank this year. I see Teddy and Christiana signaling the prefects. I look to Bella and nod. She gets up and gives Freddie a kiss before walking to the head of our table. I lean over and give James a quick peck. "I will see you later tonight?" He nods and smiles. I get up and walk to the head of the table next to Bella.

"First year Gryffindors over here please!" Bella yells. Nobody hears her. I put my fingers to my lips and whistle sharply. Everybody's heads snap in our direction.

I look to Bella and smile. "All yours dear."

She laughs. "First year Gryffindors over here please!" A large group of small children get up from the table and come over to us. We lead them out of the great hall and into the corridors. We lead through the corridors, pointing to the classroom locations and other house locations as we go. We finally get to Gryffindor tower and say the password. We lead them into the common room and let them go their separate ways.

Bella and I walk up to our new room on the sixth floor and change clothes. Bella brushes her shoulder length, strawberry blonde hair and turns to me. Her grey eyes stare at me intently. "Are you almost done? Curfew is in thirty minutes and I want to start the hallway patrol a bit early."

I chuckle and put my hair in a ponytail. "Alright already! I'm ready. Let's go overachiever."

We walk down the stairs and wave to the boys, who are talking on the couch. Then we walk out into the corridor and start patrol.

(Break)

Nothing of interest really happened during patrol. I didn't expect anything to happen though; nobody would be willing to sneak out on the first day here, especially the first years. They were nervous enough about all of this as it is, none of them are mental enough to do anything this soon in the year.

I DID run into that slytherine prefect boy. What was his name… Larden? No… Landen! I was walking down a corridor by Gryffindor tower when I saw him. He was holding open a book and inspecting a wall a couple feet away from me. I walked down toward him and shone my wand at him. He turned and looked at me with a sneer then walked away.

Other than that, there wasn't much action. I walked into the common room and made my way up the stairs. I pushed open the door to my room and flopped myself onto my bed. I am utterly exhausted. I don't normally stay up late, which is something James teases me about a lot, so this was extremely tiring. I put my wand under my pillow and close my eyes. I quickly fall fast asleep.

**This chapter was more of a filler chapter. Things will pick up after this, I promise.**

**Oh, and the Winter Holiday chapter is going to be epic, so be excited for that! haha**

**As always, please review! Criticism is always welcome. :)**

**Thanks! Much love!**

**-Tx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 3**

I slowly open my eyes and look around. It takes me a moment to remember where I am, but when I do I sit up. I reach under my pillow and retrieve my wand and grab my schedule. I have Potions, then Transfigurations, then Charms, then DADA, then Ancient Runes, and finally a free period. I am extremely thankful for the free period at the end of the day; it will give me some time to do my homework before dinner and nighttime patrol. I crawl out of bed and stumble to the bathroom. I grab Bella's watch and look at the time: 7:05 am. I walk back out and turn on our bedroom light. "Come on girls. It's time to get up. Breakfast is in twenty five minutes…"

I see them all stirring in their beds, which I assume means they are waking up, so I walk back into the bathroom and brush my teeth. When I walk back out of the bathroom and dig through my trunk for my uniform. I finally find everything and change into it. The others are just starting to roll out of bed. "Don't you three have class at 8 am?"

Rachelle laughs and shakes her head, her long brown and blue hair swinging around as she does. "We all have a free period first thing…"

I sigh. "Oh. Well, sorry for waking you then." I exit the room and walk into the common room. There are only a few people in here. _They're all probably at breakfast…_

I exit the common room and walk to the great hall. The Gryffindor table is full of first years who are all eating and talking excitedly about what to expect today. I take a seat at the far end of the table and put a small amount of food on my plate. I am still really tired, and therefore not in the mood to eat. I take a couple of small bites of the eggs on my plate, then push it away. A set of large, warm hands are placed over my eyes. I reach up and feel the hands with my own.

James.

"Why, this can't be James. Maybe it's my other boyfriend?" I say with a smirk.

He removes his hands and laughs. "That's funny Ari, really funny." He sits in the chair next to me and piles food onto his plate. I lean over and give him a kiss just as a group of first year girls walk by. They giggle at the PDA, which makes me laugh. James turns and says "So what happened to 'see you tonight'?"

I gasp. "Oh! James I'm so sorry! I completely forgot!"

"I guess I can forgive you Ari." He glances at me and smirks.

I punch him in the arm playfully and laugh. "James Potter you're a right git, you know that? I will definitely get to see you tonight though. At quidditch tryouts."

He looks at me puzzled. I am about to clarify when a loud cheer comes from the hallway. I get up from the table and look out. There is a fight going on between two slytherine and Gryffindor second years. I turn to James. "I'm sorry, I have to go. I will see you tonight though!" I run out of the great hall, wand at the ready, and toward the fight.

**James' POV**

I wake up and slowly look around. It looks as though I am in the Gryffindor common room. I sit up and something falls off of me. I turn and look at it. Once I realize that it's my invisibility cloak I let out a chuckle. I pick it up off the floor and put it in my pocket. Last night I was waiting for Ariana to finish her patrol, but I must have fallen asleep. _Yea, and covered myself with the cloak…_

I get off the couch and stretch. I walk up to my room and change into my clothes for the day. I walk over to my trunk and grab my schedule. I have Herbology, then Divinations, then Charms, then DADA, then a free period. Quidditch tryouts are tonight too. I haven't told Ari that I'm the new quidditch captain yet either. This means I am in charge of holding the quidditch tryouts, along with running the practices.

I look at my watch and rush to the great hall. I see Ariana taking small bites from her plate of eggs. I walk over quietly and place my hands over her eyes. She reaches her hands up and feels mine. She smirks and says "Why, this can't be James. Maybe it's my other boyfriend?"

I remove my hands from her eyes and let out a laugh. "That's funny Ari, really funny." I sit down and begin putting food on my plate. She leans over kisses me on the cheek. A group of first year girls walk by and giggle.

I turn to Ari and say "So what happened to 'see you tonight'?"

She gasps loudly. "Oh! James I'm so sorry! I completely forgot!"

"I guess I can forgive you Ari." I say with a smirk.

She lightly punches me in the arm and laughs. "James Potter you're a right git, you know that? I will definitely get to see you tonight though. At quidditch tryouts."

I look at her, confusion apparent on my face. _Is she really going to come watch me run tryouts? How do I tell her that they are closed tryouts?_

She opens her mouth to respond, but is interrupted by a loud cheer that erupts from the corridor outside the great hall. She leans back then turns to me with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, I have to go. I will see you tonight though!" Then she gets up, pulling out her wand in the process, and runs toward the cheering. I turn back to my food and wolf it down as quickly as I can. After my food is gone, I get up from the table and head to class. I walk out of the great hall and stop abruptly. In front of me, Ari is standing unbelievable close to a Slytherine prefect boy with black hair and grey eyes. He towers over her as they glare at each other, her nose pointed up at him. She wears a scowl and she is standing tensely. The boy is looking down at her with a smug grin, his arms are crossed and he is standing casually. There is a circle of first and second years surrounding them, joy and eagerness covering their faces.

Behind Ari is a small second year with a bloody nose. She has one hand placed protectively in front of him; the other hand holds her wand tightly. Behind the boy is a complacent looking second year Slytherine. He has his arms crossed across his chest and is examining his nails. He looks unscathed. I assume there was a fight between the two boys, which would explain the cheering and the Gryffindor boy's bloody nose. What I don't understand is why Ari is glaring at this prefect.

I walk closer and hear her saying through gritted teeth. "If you're not going to discipline him then I will have to go talk to Professor McGonagall about it. I would have to tell her you aren't doing your prefect duties." I can see a dangerous fire dancing in her eyes. She is very close to hurting this guy. _I need to intervene…_

I walk over and crouch down to the boy with the bloody nose. I examine the wound then stand up. "What's going on here?"

The prefect smirks. "Nothing that concerns you. Just dealing with a little spat."

Ariana snorts. "Yes, little spat. That's why Rodney here has a bloody nose!"

"Exactly." He says, still smirking.

I grab her wrist and she exhales sharply. "You know what? I don't have time for this. I need to get him to Madam Pomfrey." She turns to Rodney and motions for him to follow her.

The prefect chuckles a deep, throaty chuckle. "You better watch yourself. Next time your boyfriend won't be here to save you."

She turns with a scream and charges the prefect, her blonde hair whirling about wildly. I reach out and grab her by the waist, catching her before she can get to him. He winks to her then turns and walks away with the second year Slytherine. She calls out to him "You better watch yourself! Next time my boyfriend won't be here to save you!" I chuckle softly and set her down.

She straightens out her shirt and turns to the students encircling us. "Please get to class now. There is nothing left to see here." She then turns to me and Rodney. "Let's go see Madam Pomfrey. How does it feel?"

He looks at her warily, as if she is going to attack him next. "It still hurts, but it's stopped bleeding."

"Okay. Let's go then." She walks with him down the corridors toward the hospital wing. "What were you two fighting about, anyways?"

He sighs. "He said he couldn't stand being in a school with a disgusting mudblood like me. Then he said my mother was probable a part of a brothel in the muggle world. So I pulled out my wand to jinx him, but he punched me in the nose before I could do anything."

Ariana chuckles. "He was just trying to get a rise out of you. You can't let what people say bother you."

"You mean like you just did with Landen?" he says with a laugh.

I chuckle at that. "He's got you there Ari."

We get to the hospital wing and drop Rodney off. Before we go he says "Thanks for defending me. When Landen got there, he actually told Malfoy to hit me again."

Ari pats him on the head and says with a smile "It's what I'm here for. If this Malfoy kid bothers you again, come let me know." He nods.

Madam Pomfrey gives us both notes to excuse our tardiness and sends us on our way. We walk back toward the great hall. "So what did you mean you will see me tonight at quidditch tryouts?"

She laughs. "I'm going to try out for chaser."

I nod. "Have you ever played it before?"

"No, but I've watched it and read about it. Plus, Quodpot is pretty similar to playing chaser." She says frankly.

We round the corner and she stops. "I have potions with Slughorn, so I better get going."

I nod again and pull her into a hug. I kiss the top of her head and say "I will see you at tryouts tonight. TRY to stay out of trouble until then."

She stands on her toes and kisses me. "I guess I can try. Only for you though. Now I REALLY have to go." She turns and walks down corridor, leaving me standing alone in the corridor by the stairs.

_I think I will skip first class today…_ I turn and walk back up to Gryffindor tower to wait for second class.

**Ari's POV**

I walk away from James and round the corner into another corridor. I am almost to potions class when I hear Landen talking to the other Slytherine prefect, Arowena.

"Wena, I tried looking for it last night, but that nasty American saw me before I could find the rune sign! You should try to find it later today. I think the American might not like me."

I can hear him smirking at the last sentence which makes me want to emerge around the corner and kick his ass, but I know I can't. I stay hidden in the shadow of the wall and listen. _I guess I'm not going to potions today…_

Next a high pitched, almost squeaky voice speaks. "Landen, you really are a huge failure aren't you? How about you just get rid of the American rather than avoid her! Do I have to tell you how to do that too, or do you think you can come up with something on your own?"

He scoffs. "I can't! He wants her alive!"

I hear someone walking up behind me so I pretend to look for something on the floor. I wince as I hear "Miss Brighton?"

I turn around cautiously. "Hello Professor McGonagall…"

**Alright so I was going to do this last time, but I completely forgot, so I figure I will just do it now. :) I want to send a shout out to debobbumman for the first review! I appreciate your support!**

**Okay so this chapter, again, was more of a filler. I wanted to put a bit of drama in there and also show the growing feud between Ariana and Landen. I hope you all enjoyed it!**

**As always, reviews and criticisms are appreciated! :)**

**Love yall!**

**-Tx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 4**

**James' POV**

I walk into the Gryffindor tower and plop down on the red couch. I close my eyes and let myself relax. It was only the first day and I am already skipping class. _That's got to be some kind of record…_

I think back to the events that just unfolded in the corridor only moments ago. Ariana had been moments from jumping on that prefect and ripping him to shreds. Normally she just ignores things like that, so I don't know why she let him bother her so bad. _I wonder what would have happened had I not been there…_

My eyes flip open quickly and a smile spreads slowly across my face. I finally know who Freddie, Lorcan, Lysander, Al and I are going to prank! I jump up from the couch and scramble up the stairs to my room. I grab a piece of parchment and a quill and quickly jot Freddie a note.

_Freddie,_

_Meet me in the RoR tonight at 11:30. I have a new potential pranking target… I want to see what you think before I suggest it to the others. I'm sure you will think I'm bloody brilliant though, I know it!_

_Signed,_

_Your best and favorite cousin_

I fold up the parchment and place it under Freddie's pillow. This is where we put things we don't want anyone else to find. I put my quill away and sit on my bed.

We don't prank anyone unless the others agree. We are either all in or all out; there is no halfway. It saves us from having one person say they didn't agree with the prank if we get caught, not that I think anyone in the group would do that. I lie down and close my eyes.

Suddenly I hear footsteps and voices. I pull the invisibility cloak and throw it over myself. I strain my neck and listen intently. _I have OBVIOUSLY been hanging out with that troublesome girlfriend of mine…_ I let out a chuckle and then quiet myself quickly so I can listen.

"…Yea, mate! Professor McGonagall caught her out of class and took her straight to her office!" the first voice says.

The second voice laughs. "Isn't she a prefect? I thought prefects were supposed to be great examples and stay out of trouble and such."

The first voice chuckles then says "I know! She's only been here a year but she's already well-known for the trouble she gets in!"

The second voice responds. "I'm not complaining though. She's hot and it keeps things interesting in Gryffindor."

There is a shuffling noise as the boys enter my room. I quietly readjust so that I can see who it is. One of the boys is Michael Wellington and the second is Darwin Needermeyer, Freddie's and my other two roommates.

Michael throws his books down on his bed and sighs. "I definitely agree with you about the fact that she is hot, but we can't let James know that. He would NOT be happy. Did you hear she broke up a fight and then almost started one? All within almost ten minutes."

Darwin snorts and flops down on his bed. "Yea! I heard James stopped her just before she attacked Landen Raghnall. I would pay good money to watch that fight."

Their schoolgirl gossiping continues for another ten minutes before I realize that I'm probably going to miss my second class too. I let out a sigh and move my sleeping foot slightly. The movement does not go unnoticed by my roommates.

"Hey Mike, did you see that?" Darwin says pointing to my bed.

Michael shakes his head. "No, mate. What did you see?"

Darwin gets up and slowly walks toward my bed. "I saw something move right…" He stands by the end of my bed and points to the spot where my foot rests. "…here."

He reaches an outstretched hand toward my foot. I am moments away from being caught. I hold my breath and try to find an escape. I can't see one anywhere and my wand is on my bedside table. Darwin's hand gets closer and closer. My stomach drops as he leans down with his hand and narrows his eyes. "I think I see something!"

**Ari's POV**

"Well Miss Brighton? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class?" Professor McGonagall says while tapping her foot.

I look up at her sheepishly and say "Sorry… I was trying to find my… contact! Here it is!" I reach down and place my finger against the ground. One time, my friend from Salem Academy had dropped her contact on the ground. I had watched her place it in her mouth to clean it, then put it back in her eye. I figured I could do that here. I place the pretend contact in my mouth and then pull it out of my mouth. I pretend to place it in my eye and blink a few times. I smile up at McGonagall and smile. "All better. I'll just be going to class now."

She holds up her hand. "Not so fast Miss Brighton. Follow me to my office."

I nod solemnly and she turns away, taking large, silent strides as she walks away. I follow behind her and mentally reprimand myself for being caught.

_Ariana Elizabeth Brighton! How the HELL could I get caught? I NEVER get caught! Now McGonagall is going to give me detention for sure! She might even take away my prefect badge! All because I got caught eavesdropping!_

She stops abruptly in front of me. I look up and realize we are at her office. She says her password, but I am too preoccupied with thinking about how she is going to punish me to hear what it is. We ascend the stairs and she gestures to a seat in front of her desk. "Please take a seat."

I had been in that very seat just last year. Well, sort of. Technically James was in the seat, but I was sitting on his lap, so that counts. I sit in the chair and fold my hands in my lap. "Professor, am I in trouble?"

She chuckles. "Not in the slightest Miss Brighton. I just wanted to talk to you about the fight that you broke up."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Oh. Well it was between Rodney Green and someone named Malfoy."

"Do you know what the fight was about?"

I nod. "Rodney said that Malfoy had insulted his mother; called her something like dirty blood, so Rodney went to jinx Malfoy. But Malfoy punched Rodney in the nose before he could say anything."

She nods and interlaces her fingers on top of her desk. "Were you the only prefect who was there?"

I nod again. I wasn't lying to protect Raghnall; I just want to see what exactly they are searching for. I can't do that if he isn't a prefect anymore.

She sighs. "Alright Miss Brighton, you may go. But please refrain from trying to start any more fights…" A small smile plays on her lips.

I smirk. "Yes professor." Then I turn and walk out of her office. I walk back down the corridor I came from and hear the two slytherine prefects talking again.

"Wena, I guess we are just going to have to target someone very close to her; such as her bloody prat of a boyfriend. If we get him, then we get to her."

I can feel the blood drain from my face. I can't hear anything anymore. I turn away from them with wide eyes and run. I don't know where I'm running, I just want to run. I want to run away from the fact that there is always going to be someone for them to take from me. To get as far away from the fact that nobody who stays around me is safe, and that's never going to change. I find myself at the quidditch pitch and sigh. I pull out my wand and say "Accio Firebolt 2.1"

Ron and Hermione had gotten me a broom for my birthday. Apparently James had let it slip to them that I enjoyed quidditch and flying, so they bought me the latest model. I was definitely warming up to Ron. I hadn't been too fond of him last year, but he seemed better at my party.

My broomstick comes whizzing toward me then stops sharply in front of me and I can feel myself smile. I climb on the handle and push upward. I rise into the air and pull myself through a few circles, rising higher into the air with each loop.

The higher I fly, the more clear my head gets. Flying is one of the few things that can clear my mind. It has this calming effect on me, making it easier to understand everything and make an informed decision rather than a rash one.

I am now almost even with the tops of the viewing towers. I lean my body forward and guide my broom around a wide loop, the wind lightly blowing through my hair as I do. I press my body tighter against the broom to which the broom responds with greater acceleration. I tighten my grip on the handle as the broom speeds up. I tilt the handle down and the broom heads into a nose dive. I get a few feet from the ground and pull upward on the handle. The broom jerks into a horizontal position and hovers for a moment, but only for a moment. Once again I harshly tug the handle upward. The broom responds without hesitation and flies straight up into the sky. My hair blows wildly behind me and my eyes water as I fly up into the sky. I pull the handle toward me again and flip the broom so that I am upside down. I see a small figure walking onto the pitch waving to me. _Shit… I've been caught once again…_

I flip myself around and point myself into a nose dive again. I plummet toward the ground and the figure as fast as I can; only pulling up on the handle when I see it's the last possible moment. I swing my leg off the broom and jump down. I prop the broom up against the wall and sit next to it. I am now facing the figure from before. He has his hands in his pockets and he is looking at me sheepishly. "James, what's going on?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Oh nothing. I just wanted to see what happened with McGonagall."

I look at him with a raised eyebrow and tilt my head to the side. He lets out a chuckle. "I hear things…"

"Oh okay. Well as long as you aren't vague! To answer your question though, nothing happened. She called me in to her office to ask about the fight." I say with a shrug.

He looks at me, confused. "If nothing happened then why are you out here?"

I sigh heavily. "Just trying to figure out what to do about some things I overheard, that's all."

"You want to talk about it?" he says while crossing the pitch and sitting next to me.

I shake my head. "Not until I've figured out what to do." Truth is, I already knew what I had to do. I just don't know how to do it. I don't want to do it, but I don't see another choice that doesn't put more people in danger. The very thought of it makes me want to crawl into a hole and die. It will take away any and all of the happiness I have finally found, but I have to keep him safe. _I have to break up with James…_

**James' POV**

Darwin's hand is now dangerously close to me, just inches away from revealing my secret cloak. I lightly cringe away from him.

Suddenly a broom flies through our room and out the open window next to me. Darwin forgets what he was doing. He and Michael run out into the common room to see where the broom came from. I take this opportunity to pocket my cloak and look out the window. I see the familiar Firebolt 2.1 broom zooming toward the quidditch pitch. That broom is Ariana's, I know it. I walk out of the room casually and stroll into the common room. I sneak past my two occupied roommates and into the corridor. I am about to run outside when I run into Mental Monroe. (That is the nickname Ari and I gave her during the summer.)

"James? Fancy seeing you here… You ditch that nasty slut yet?" She says with a mischievous grin.

I smirk and say "Yea, right around third year. Now please move so I can go find my girlfriend."

Her mouth drops, but she doesn't move. So I push past her and continue outside. I run closer to the pitch and see someone flying around up high inside the quidditch arena. I walk in and wave to her. She is up really high but when she sees me waving she points her broom down and races toward me. She stops just a few feet from the ground then jumps off her broom. She walks over to the wall of the pitch and leans her broom up against it. She sits down next to it and says "James, what's going on?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Oh nothing. I just wanted to see what happened with McGonagall."

She looks at me with a raised eyebrow and tilts her head to the side. I let out a chuckle and say. "I hear things…"

"Oh okay. Well as long as you aren't vague! To answer your question though, nothing happened. She called me in to her office to ask about the fight." She says with a shoulder shrug.

I look at her, feeling confused. "If nothing happened then why are you out here?"

She lets out a weighted sigh. "Just trying to figure out what to do about some things I overheard, that's all."

I walk over and sit next to her. "You want to talk about it?"

She shakes her head. I stare at her for a bit, but she is zoned out. I look at my watch and realize that my third class is about to start so I turn to Ari. "Hey, I'm going to head to class now. I will see you tonight at quidditch?"

She nods but doesn't do anything else, so I kiss her on the forehead and leave the pitch.

**Okay first off, I'm so super sorry it took me so long to update! Summer semester just started and the professors decided that it would be a great idea to pile on the homework. I guess thats what happens at university, huh? Haha I will definitely do my absolute best to update as often as possible. :) Love yall!**

**I hope yall liked the chapter! Let me know with a review!**

**Thanks! :)**

**-Tx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 5**

**Ari's POV**

I skipped the rest of my classes today. After my revelation at the quidditch pitch I didn't really want to do anything else. I just curled up on my bed and tried to keep my mind off of James. I tried to think about what Landen and Arowena could possibly be looking for and what runes could have to do with anything. I can hear voices coming from downstairs in the common room, but I don't move. I close my eyes and mentally navigate through the corridor that I had caught Landen in. I don't remember seeing any rune marks on the wall though… I open my eyes and look at Bella's alarm clock: 5:45. Quidditch tryouts are in fifteen minutes!

I jump off my bed and scramble to my trunk. I throw open the lid and fling my clothes around. I grab a tank top and some shorts and change quickly. I pull my hair up into a ponytail and grab my broom. I sprint down the stairs and out into the corridor. I shove Monroe out of the way as I run outside. I hear her scream "YOU LITTLE BITCH! YOU GOT DIRT ON MY SHOES!" A small, satisfied smile appears on my face. I hurdle a third year lying on the ground and skid to a halt. I hop on my broom and kick off hard. My broom propels forward toward the pitch. I pull up directly outside the pitch and jump off my broom. I run through the entrance and onto the field. I breathe a sigh of relief and lean back. I made it just in time. James walks out flanked by a tall, skinny girl with brown and purple hair, who I recognize from the team last year, a tall, muscular black haired boy, and a scrawny blue haired boy.

James looks at me and winks then says "Aright you lot. As this year's quidditch captain, I get to run tryouts this year. We have a beater, a keeper, and two chaser positions available along with a seeker, and two beater reserves available. My goal for this season is to win it all, which means I'm looking for the best. This season isn't going to be for the faint of heart, so if you don't think you can handle it, you can leave now." He crosses his arms and looks around the group. The mood shifts from eager to uncomfortable, but nobody leaves.

James smiles. "Good! Now my two co-captains here are going to be helping me judge you guys. This lovely lady here is Spencer Darkbloom, the Gryffindor chaser, and this big guy over here is her brother, and the Gryffindor beater, Alec Darkbloom. You all know my best cousin Freddie, so no need to introduce him. He plays keeper. You're going to have to impress all four of us today and…" He looks over to me. "…we won't be playing favorites."

I laugh and shake my head. He continues his speech. "Now, let's start with ten laps around the pitch."

I sigh and lie my broom down. I look ahead and start my run. I begin slowly, trying to pace myself, but it's beginning to get warm outside. Although it is getting only 6:00, the inside of the pitch is very warm. I finish my first lap and smile. I am doing well so far, I'm not too tired and I'm not in last place. I go through five more laps and begin to feel the effects of the run. Sweat beads up and runs down my forehead slowly. I bring the back of my hand up and rake it across my forehead.

Suddenly a giant spray of water hits me, knocking me down. "What the bloody hell just hit me?" I look around. Apparently Freddie and James thought it would be a good idea to spray us all with water. I narrow my eyes and smirk. "James Potter you are going to pay for that later…" He smiles and says "I'm counting on that Ariana Brighton!" I slowly get up off the ground, try to rub the mud off of my legs and begin running again. I finish my seventh lap and run past James. As I do, I reach out and place a mud covered hand directly on his face and drag down, leaving him with a very dirty handprint smear down the center of his face. I grin and lengthen my strides. I finish off the last two laps and slowly sit down on the ground, breathing quite heavily, to wait for everyone else. I had finished second, just behind Spencer.

Once everyone has finished, James clears his throat and says "Okay, now chasers follow Spencer, beaters follow Alec, keepers go with Freddie, and seekers come with me."

We break up into the different groups and go our separate ways. A group of giggling girls and I follow Spencer to one side of the pitch, then she tells us she will be right back. The girls are behind me whispering to each other. There are three of them, two brunettes and blonde.

One of the brunettes says "Oh I know right! He's just so cute! I would love ten minutes alone with James Potter… I would rock his world… And when he sprayed us with water? So hot…"

The other brunette laughs and says "I would much rather go for Freddie. He's a right hottie! It must run in their family…"

The turn and scoff at the two girls. "I hear they both have girlfriends… Sooo good luck with that."

The first brunette sighs. "Well, girl I don't know, you underestimate my seductive powers…"

I roll my eyes. Spencer returns carrying a quaffle. "Alright ladies, circle up." We all gather around her and listen intently. "I want you to go in groups of two and try to score on Freddie. Try to get as many goals as possible. Does everyone understand?"

We nod and she turns. "Aria Stone, Ashlynn Silverton, you two are first." The blonde girl walks up and swallows nervously.

I smile to her and nod. "You can do it." She smiles weakly and gets on her broom and kicks off.

The brunette who fancies James walks by me and scoffs. "You'll never make the team with that kind of competitive nature." With that she climbs on her broom and kicks off.

The girls do alright, Aria scores on Freddie once, but that's the only goal they get. They fly back down and Ashlynn smirks at me. "Do you think you can handle beating me?"

I laugh at her. "Can I beat your score of zero? Yea I think I can manage that…" I had been watching Freddie while the girls were up there; he tends to favor the right ring when he is guarding the goals. Spencer points to me and the other brunette and I nod. I mount my broom and kick off, followed closely behind by the other brunette girl. The brunette girl starts off with the quaffle. She zooms right for the goal and throws it directly to the center ring. Freddie blocks the shot with ease. He tosses the quaffle back and I catch it. I grip the quaffle in my left hand and quickly fly to the left. I swiftly move the quaffle over to my right hand and toss it to the far right. The quaffle almost skims the edge of the ring as it goes through. Freddie looks at me, stunned. I smile and say "Sorry Freddie! I still love you though!"

He regains his composure and tosses the quaffle out again. The other girl I'm flying with catches it and flies forward. I see Freddie starting to favor the right side now so I yell for her to pass me the quaffle. She looks at me hesitantly then tosses it to me. I toss the quaffle again and it sails through the low left ring. I smile nervously at Freddie this time. "Sorry…" He looks extremely frustrated. Spencer blows a whistle (which I had NO idea she had) and we fly back down to her. I jump off my broom and smirk at Ashlynn. "You were saying?" She narrows her eyes at me and turns away.

Spencer blows her whistle again. "You ladies did well out there, that's all we've got for tryouts. It looks like the others have finished too so let's head back to James." We all walk over to James and circle up. He looks to the other captains and gestures them over to him.

He turns back to us with a smile and says "We all need to talk and come to a decision. I will post the positions and the practice times in the Gryffindor common room tomorrow afternoon, so don't ask me about it. I don't want to hear any whining if you don't make the team either. So you all can go shower and we will see the new teammates later."

The blonde girl, Aria, walks away from Ashlynn and the other brunette. They are still standing on the pitch talking about the multiple things they would do to James and Freddie if they were given time alone with them. James walks over to me and the girls go silent. I can feel their eyes on us. I put my arms around his neck and smile. "You are quite popular amongst the girls here, aren't you?"

He wraps his arms around my waist and laughs. "Do I sense a little bit of jealousy? Your eyes ARE looking extra green today…" He looks at his watch and sighs. "You better get back. Patrol will be starting soon. But I will see you in the morning."

"Yea, you're probably right…" I stand on my toes and give him a kiss. "But I had BETTER see you in the morning!" I turn to walk away but he grabs my wrist. "James… I really SHOULD be going…"

He pulls me back and gives me another kiss. I pull away and smile. "Well… I guess I COULD stay for a few moments longer…" He smiles and pulls me back into the kiss. My world feels as though it is spinning. I can feel the elation filling me up, almost to where I think I'm going to pop. I run my fingers through his hair and he pulls me closer. Suddenly a voice pulls us back into reality.

"James? I had a few questions about the seeker reserve position…"

We break apart and see that it was Ashlynn who interrupted us. She is trying to look as innocent as possible, but I can see a slight edge of irritation on her face. James looks back to me and grins. "It's been a while since we did THAT…"

I laugh and wink. "It keeps you coming back, doesn't it?" I give him another quick kiss. "I really should be going anyways, patrol should be starting soon. Don't let me catch you out past curfew though. I won't hesitate to give you a detention mister."

He smirks. "Oho. Look at you, getting all authoritative. I like it."

I am about to respond when Ashlynn cuts us off. "James I really have a question!"

I let out a chuckle. "You are being beckoned. I will see you in the morning. I love you."

He smiles. "I love you too Ariana Brighton."

I grab my broom and leave the pitch. I walk away from the pitch with a large smile on my face. My smile drops as I remember what I need to do. _Shit! This is going to make breaking up with him SO much harder…_ He makes me so happy; I really don't want to break up with him… I sigh loudly and walk back to the common room. I get through patrol without having anything happen. When it's over I stumble back into my room and throw myself onto my bed. I place my wand under my pillow and curl up, warm tears escaping my eyes. _Shit… _I squeeze my eyes shut and force myself into a terrible sleep.

**As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave me your thoughts in a review!**

**Thanks! :)**

**-Tx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 6**

I walk into the great hall and take a seat between James and Freddie. I turn to James and lean to give him a kiss, but then stop and play it off as trying to grab something some egg on toast in front of him. I take a large bite of the food as James turns to me. He smirks and says "Do you know how long it took me to get that mud off my face? I'm going to have to get you back for that…"

I nearly choke as I laugh. I swallow the food and smirk. "I knew you tasted a little dirty yesterday…"

"Ariana! That's inappropriate!" he says with wide eyes and a smile.

I shake my head. "You know, I wouldn't have even had to do that if YOU TWO hadn't sprayed everyone with water! I told you I was going to get you back, and I did."

Freddie turns at the mention of what happened yesterday. "We were just trying to cool everyone off! It's not our fault you have no balance!"

I scrunch up my nose and throw a piece of toast at him. He leans over and catches it in his mouth then winks at me. I roll my eyes and laugh. James looks at his watch and sighs. "Time for class… Let's go."

We all get up from the table and say our goodbyes. I walk into my Potions class and smile at Professor Slughorn. He points to an empty seat near the back and says "Miss Brighton, you will be sitting back there. That will be your seat for the rest of the year. Now please go take a seat." I obey and walk back there. I let out a very unladylike groan when I realize who Slughorn has paired me with. I drop my potions book onto the desk and slouch into my seat. My tablemate looks up and frowns. "What the bloody hell are you doing at **my **table, American?"

"You know, Landen, I DO have a name. How about you use it?" I say with an edge of irritation.

He smirks at the fact that he's aggravated me. "Not likely, American. I want to interact with you as little as possible."

I frown. "You think I LIKE being paired with you? How bout we just don't talk to each other AT ALL and things will be peachy." I cross my arms and look forward at Slughorn. The class is spent brewing a red, glittery potion in silence. I finish my potion first and bring it up to Slughorn. He grins widely and says "My, my Miss Brighton! If you keep this up, you might end up on my wall!"

I grimace internally. "Gee Professor… that would be really… great…"

He gives me another grin then lets me leave. I glance back to Landen before I leave and smirk. He is scratching his head and looking at his cauldron, which is full of a black, lumpy, bubbly substance. I turn and head out.

I laugh to myself and walk out of the classroom and head to Gryffindor tower. Once I get t Gryffindor tower, I walk up into my room and put my potions things away, then pick up my transfigurations things. I look at the clock in the room. It reads 11:00. I still have thirty minutes until Transfigurations, so I figure I can go snoop around the corridor for the rune marks I overheard Landen and Arowena talking about. I walk out of the room and into the common room. Monroe is sitting on a red couch with a group of girls, which includes Ashlynn, gossiping and giggling. I try to sneak past them, but to no avail. Monroe turns around and scoffs loudly, which causes Ashlynn to turn and do the same.

I roll my eyes and continue walking, but Monroe gets up and sprints over to me blocking my path. "Where are you going little slut?" Ashlynn and the other girls cackle loudly.

I sigh heavily. "Monroe, I don't have time for this, please move."

She scoffs again. "You and James are always saying that. I just want to know where you're going, slut… So where are you off to?"

"I'm going to roam the corridor until class. Now PLEASE MOVE." I try to step around her but she mimics my movement and continues to block my path. I let out a grunt. "Monroe! MOVE!"

She turns to her group and laughs. "Looks like the slut here doesn't know her please and thank you's!" She turns back to me and gives me a dark look. "Maybe I should teach you how to be polite…"

I roll my eyes and scoff. "Monroe, you wouldn't know polite if it punched you in the face! Seriously, how were YOU sorted into Gryffindor?" I see Bella and Rachelle walk in and hold my hand up by my side. They nod and wait behind Monroe, silently pulling out their wands.

Monroe thinks my hand gesture was for her so she sneers. "What's wrong slut? Do I frighten you?"

"Yes. But only because I think you're bat-shit crazy." I say as I try to move around her again. This time, rather than move in front of me, she grabs my shoulders and shoves me to the ground. She cackles. "You know, I don't know WHY James is with you. You're not even that cute…"

My butt and my back hit a table, and something cracks under the impact. I push off the table and I narrow my eyes at her. "Really Monroe? Really? Go ahead, try that one more time." I dust myself off, wincing as I graze my back with my hand. _Shit, it's going to bruise for sure…_ I try once again to move around her but she pushes me again. This time I stagger backward, but catch myself before I can fall. I look at her and smirk. "You shouldn't have done that…"

I briskly walk over and shove her as hard as I can. She falls to the ground hard. I let out a laugh and walk past her. "I told you to move…"

She reaches out and grabs my ankle, causing me to fall face first against the hardwood floor. I smack my head against the ground and let out a groan of pain. I kick my foot out hard, hitting her right in the face. Her head snaps back with the force of the impact and she cries out in pain. "YOU BITCH!" I get up off the ground and run into the hallway, followed closely by Monroe. She screams "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING LITTLE SLUT?"

I pull out my wand and turn to jinx her, but she is closer than I expect. She smacks my wand out of her hand and slaps me. There is a loud clapping noise as my head whips to the side. I quickly recover and hit her with a right hook directly in the nose. Her head snaps back again and bloods spurts from her already broken nose. I scramble over and hastily grab my wand off the marble floor of the corridor. I point my wand at Monroe and grin angrily. "Checkmate Monroe…"

I feel a hand grip the arm holding my wand so I turn and look. Professor Longbottom's hand is wrapped firmly around my arm and he is frowning at me. "Miss Brighton, please come with me. Bella, please escort Monroe to the hospital wing." He turns away and jerks my arm to follow him. We get around the corner and I twist my arm free from his grip. He turns to face me with a stern look on his face. "Miss-" his expression softens. "Ariana, please come with me."

I scowl at him. "I have two capable legs. I can walk on my own accord."

He nods firmly. "Fine, but you will walk next to me."

I speed up silently so that I am next to him. He turns and looks at me. "Why were you fighting with Monroe?" I continue to walk silently while glaring at everything in front of me. Longbottom stops. "Ariana. WHY were you fighting with Monroe?"

I sigh. "She has been harassing me for two years now. I couldn't take it anymore! Plus, she started the fight."

He starts walking again without saying anything. We round a corner and end up right in front of the gargoyle that leads to McGonagall's office. Longbottom turns to me. "You shouldn't let bullies bother you." He turns back to the gargoyle and says the password. The stairs rise up and he gestures for me to go up. He grabs my shoulder before I go up the stairs and says quietly "That was a brilliant right hook by the way." I smirk and climb the stairs slowly. Longbottom knocks on the door and says "Professor, I have a student who needs to see you."

McGonagall opens the door and ushers us in. "What can I help you two with today?"

Longbottom sighs. "Ariana here was in a fight. The other student is at the hospital wing now."

McGonagall waves him off. Longbottom leaves the office and McGonagall looks at me sternly. "Miss Brighton! What would possess you to fight another student?"

I sit in the chair across from her desk and lean back, wincing as I do. "Professor, what's wrong with me?"

She looks at me with a puzzled expression. "Pardon me?"

I let out a heavy sigh. "I'm angry all the time. Ever since Carter died and I saw Caledon, I feel like every little thing sets me off; as if I'm about to explode all the time, and like I'm not in control of my emotions. What is wrong with me?" I can feel tears beginning to sting my eyes, so I blink rapidly to try and control them.

She continues to look at me, her puzzled expression softening to empathy. "My dear, nothing is wrong with you. People grieve in different ways for different periods of time. This is just your way of grieving."

"What the fu- Sorry…" I catch myself mid-curse and smile sheepishly. "I mean 'What the hell?' I thought I got over this already! I don't want to grieve! Ugh! Can I go now?"

She nods. "Yes you may. Not before I give you your detention though, tomorrow through Friday after your last class. You will be serving the detention with Professor Longbottom. Now go off to the hospital wing and get checked out. Your cheek is rather red and swollen…"

I groan then turn to leave. She calls my name right before I am out of her office. "Oh, and Ariana? Please refrain from fighting anyone else. It's not appropriate behavior for a prefect."

I roll my eyes and walk out the door. I get down the stairs and find Bella and Rachelle waiting for me. "What are you two doing here? I thought you would be in class by now…"

Rachelle walks over and hugs me. "We wanted to make sure you're okay. Bella went and got James by the way."

I look over to Bella and groan. "Why Bells? I don't want him to know about this!"

She laughs and shakes her head. "Really Ari? You just got into a fight with one of the most popular Gryffindors at Hogwarts; I would be surprised if the whole school didn't know by now!"

Just then James comes running around the corner. He spots us and slows down. He puts his hand on the small of my back and I arch my back away from his touch with a cry. "OOOOwwwwww…" I quiet my cry of pain down and smile to James guiltily.

His face contorts into a frown and he grabs my hand. "C'mon Ariana. Let's get you to the hospital wing."

I scoff. "Don't you have class right now?"

"I do, but Bells came in and said that McGonagall needed to see me, so I'm good." He pulls me along behind him. We are followed by Rachelle and Bella who are talking quietly behind us.

I turn to Bella. "How's her nose? Still broken I hope?"

She and Rachelle both smirk. "Damn right it is! You hit her with a solid hook. She's going to need lots of magic to fix it…"

James looks at us, confused. "Who did you punch? Why exactly were you in McGonagall's office?"

I tilt my head. "Bella didn't tell you?"

"She just said that I needed to get to McGonagall's office immediately."

I smirk. "I got into a fight with Monroe…"

He stops abruptly and turns around with wide eyes. "WHAT?"

Bella, Rachelle and I laugh. "Yea… I have detention all week until Friday for it too."

"Wait, that's the day of the first quidditch match! You are going to miss all the practices this week and the first match!" He turns back around and stomps ahead.

I shake my head and try to process what he had just said. "I… I made the team?"

He scoffs. "Well yea! You scored on Freddie twice! Once is an accomplishment, but twice is a miracle! Of course you made the team!"

A small smile forms onto my face. We walk into the hospital wing and hear dramatic screaming. "OW! Be more careful! That really hurts!"

I crane my neck and see Madam Pomfrey wrestling with Monroe. She is trying to bandage Monroe's nose, but Monroe is fighting against her. I let out a snicker and nudge James. He looks to me then looks at where the screaming is coming from. He smirks and whispers "Damn. You got her good… That's my girl."

I laugh and say "You lot are being awfully supportive of my fight…"

Bella and Rachelle chuckle. "Sorry to have to leave you, but we really have to get to class. I will see you tonight for patrol though!"

I wave and thank them both. They return the wave then leave. I grab James hand and we walk back to where Madam Pomfrey and Monroe are.

I clear my throat. "Madam Pomfrey? When you're done with _that_, I need you to patch up my back."

She continues to try and patch up Monroe's nose and points to a bed across from her. "Take a seat over there. I will be with you as soon as I can."

I nod. James and I cross the room and he helps me sit on the bed. I cringe as I readjust on the bed. My back is really killing me. I look at James. "I hate to ask this of you, but can you tell me how bad it is?"

He nods concern etched on his face. I put my weight on my arms and turn my body so that I am sitting along the edge of my bed.

He lifts up the back of my shirt and mutters "Bloody hell…"

I close my eyes. "How bad is it?"

"How the hell did this happen?" He says bitterly. He is still staring at my back.

"Monroe shoved me into a table. Something on the table broke, but I didn't think it was that bad. James, you're freaking me out. Is it really that bad?"

**James' POV**

Dark purple and navy blue cover her low back. There is a large, welted cut in the middle of the bruise, which makes me wonder what exactly she landed on. I reach my hand out and lightly touch the cut. Ariana winces at the contact. "Sorry…" I mutter, pulling my hand back. I drop her shirt with a terse sigh and say "It's not that bad. Madam Pomfrey should have it healed in no time."

I give her a smile, but I can tell she's not convinced. She sighs. "Don't you have class?"

I chuckle and hop on the bed next to her. "Nah, it's only Divinations class."

She gives me a stern look. "James Sirius Potter, you will NOT skip class for me. I will be fine, but I can't make the same promise for you if you skip class. I will meet up with you during free period, okay?"

"Yes ma'am!" I say with a stiff salute. I hop off the bed and give her a kiss on the forehead. "I will see you later then." I turn and walk out of the hospital wing and head to my Divinations class.

**Ari's POV**

Madam Pomfrey FINALLY gets the bandages set on Monroe's nose then she turns to me. "If you so much as fight against me while I try to bandage you up, I promise I will turn you into a ferret."

I chuckle. "I will do my best, but I can't make any promises. It hurts really bad."

She walks over and sighs. "Shirt up please."

I carefully lift my shirt, a constant grimace on my face as I do. Madam Pomfrey sharply takes in a deep breath. "It won't take too long. I have to heal the cut first, then I can try to work on the bruise. This might sting a bit." She raises her wand and murmurs' healing spells quietly. It feels as though something is pulling tightly on my back, creating a stinging sensation. I suck in some air and hold my breath. I clench my fists and close my eyes. The tugging persists for a few more moments, then it desists. I unclench my fists and breathe a sigh of relief. Madam Pomfrey asks me to lie on my stomach to make working on the bruise easier. I slowly roll onto my stomach and wait.

After a bit she taps me on the arm and says, "Alright dear. You're all set. It's almost 4:00. You can still make it to your last class if you hurry." She turn back to Monroe, who has been lying in the bed moaning and groaning the entire time Madam Pomfrey was healing me. She mutters curses under her breath then walks over to give her a potion to heal her broken nose. I smirk as I run back to the common room. It's only day two here and it feels like it's been the longest day ever. I'm not in the mood for class at all. I will just go to my classes tomorrow and work really hard; I will even sit in the front of the class if I have to.

I wander into the empty common room and flop onto the couch to wait for James. I place my arm over my head and close my eyes.

* * *

_I am walking through a corridor at Hogwarts. The corridor is very dark, only lit by the torches lining the walls. I see Landen looking at a wall again, a book in his hand. I yell "Slytherine, what are you doing?" He doesn't seem to hear me though. He continues to look at the wall._

_He reaches his hand out and runs it along the wall, his fingers lightly grazing the stone. His face shows his concentration and focus as he traces the stones on the wall. I walk closer and look at the book he is holding. It's an __Ancient Runes Made Easy__ book. I look at the wall in front of him but I don't see anything. He continues to run his hand along the stone wall, frustration mixing with his concentration. He rubs his hand over something and a smile of relief spreads on his face. He looks at the wall more closely then looks at the book._

_I try to lean forward to see what he's found, but something is holding me back. I try to jerk my shoulders free but whatever is holding them has a tight grip. Suddenly Landen's head whips up and he looks directly at me. His eyes gloss over and he morphs into a gruesome creature with sharp teeth and blood caked on its body. He opens his mouth and says "Ariana."_

_I open my eyes wide and try to back away. The thing holding my shoulders tightens its grip, holding me in place. The creature that used to be Landen advances toward me with a scary gleam in its eyes. It opens its mouth once again and says "Ariana!" It moves toward me and repeats my name several more times, each time louder than the last._

_The creature is finally right in front of me. It brings up a blood covered hand and grabs my shoulders. It violently shakes me by my shoulders and yells "ARIANA!"_

* * *

My eyes dart open and immediately look for the creature. Instead, I find a smirking James and Freddie standing above me. I sit up and rub my eyes. "Bloody hell… What time is it?"

Freddie laughs and jumps onto the couch next to me. "It's 4:30, mate. But nobody cares about that. I hear you broke that terrible girl Monroe's nose! You are officially my second favorite person!"

James looks over at him and feigns hurt. "SHE'S your second favorite? I thought I was your second favorite!"

Freddie reaches over and pushes James. "So how'd you do it?"

"I punched her in the face… And I got detention from tomorrow until Friday for it." I say while stretching.

Freddie grimaces. "What? You made the team and you're ALREADY missing practice?"

"And the first match." I say with a sigh.

Freddie groans loudly, evoking strange looks from other people in Gryffindor tower. He gets up off the couch and turns to walk away, only to turn back quickly. "By the way, are you going to come back with us for winter holiday this year?"

I from him to James and nod. "Well, I plan to… Is that alright?"

Freddie and James nod with large smiles. Freddie turns back around and heads up the stairs, probably to his room. James sits down next to me and sighs. "How's your back?"

I turn around and pull my shirt up. "You tell me."

"It's almost completely healed. That Madam Pomfrey, she's a right miracle worker." He says with a smirk.

Ashlynn walks in and scoffs. "Get a room you two."

We roll our eyes and laugh as I drop my shirt back down. I look and James and smile. "So what are we going to do for the free period?"

James looks up and taps his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… How about we explore the castle?"

I think about what I overheard Landen and Arowena said, about my dream, and about runes. I smile and get up. "That sounds lovely." I grab his hand and pull him up off the couch.

He puts his index finger up. "Hold on. I have to post the quidditch team list right quick." He walks over to a board in the common room and tacks up the list that was in his hand. I'm not sure how I hadn't noticed it before now. He turns back to me and nods. "Alright, let's go."

**Alright yall, I gave you a rather long chapter to tide you over while I study for my tests. I would REALLY appreciate it if you guys would leave a review with what you think of the story so far. :)**

**Love yall!**

**-Tx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 7**

We walk down a corridor talking and laughing. James is in the middle of telling me about his divinations class and how he and Freddie are planning a new prank when I spot it. I don't see it directly at first; I more catch sight of it out of the corner of my eye. As soon as it registers though, I stop walking and slowly back up; stopping and turning once I get there so I can have a direct view of it. James continues walking and talking for a moment then notices my absence. "Ari? What are you doing? Why are you staring down that hallway?" He walks back to me and turns his head trying to follow my gaze.

I slowly take a step forward into the dark hallway, my path illuminated by the burning torches hanging on the stone walls. This is the hallway from my dream. I slowly make my way to the place where I saw Landen and rub my hand along the stone the same way I saw him do in my dream. I feel different levels of divots and grooves, but nothing out of the ordinary for stone. James follows me, tracing the wall with his palm behind me. I close my eyes and try to remember where I had seen Landen standing. James breaks my concentration. "Ari, what are-" I hold up my finger and keep my eyes closed. _He had been under the fourth torch on the right side…_

I open my eyes and lower my hand. I continue down the hallway until I am under the fourth torch on the right. I rub my hand along the wall and feel grooves, but a kind different from the before. A small smile plays on my lips. "Jamie, can you do me a favor?"

He nods. "What do you need?"

"Can you run back to Gryffindor tower and get a quill and some parchment? I will wait for you here…" I continue to look at the wall while I talk to James. I hear him briskly walking down the corridor, so I assume he is going to get what I asked of him.

I may have gotten an O.W.L. in ancient runes, but I was having trouble translating most of these without a book. I understand a few though; there is one that says opening, another that says underground, another that says something about fire and one that roughly translates to death. I let out a frustrated sigh and rub my head. _I REALLY wish I could translate this NOW…_

I hear footsteps coming toward me which causes my stomach to turn nervously. _What if it's Landen or Arowena?_

I turn my head in the direction and breathe a sigh of relief. James is walking down the corridor with a quill and parchment in his hand. He hands them to me and I accept them with a gracious "Thank you." I turn back to the wall and carefully jot down the runes carved into the stone, making sure to double check my writing for any errors I may have made. I fold up the parchment and place it in my pocket. "Jamie, let's go. I have a feeling we're not supposed to be here…" I grab his hand and pull him out of the corridor before he can ask me any questions. "I will tell explain all of this later, I promise."

He nods and looks at his watch. "Alright, I'm going to hold you to that. Until then, we should head to dinner. It's almost 8:00."

Had we really been wandering around for three and a half hours? Time really felt like it flew by! But I am determined to start translating these runes tonight_. I NEED to know what it says!_

We walk into the great hall and plop down at the Gryffindor table. James begins piling food onto his plate, but I just sit there. My mind is on other things; the runes, my fight with Monroe, Landen and Arowena's threat, quidditch, the RoR, and classes. My mind buzzes wildly, my multitude of thoughts bumping around randomly. I shake my head lightly to try and clear my head, and stab a something off of James' plate. I put it in my mouth and continue to try and sort through my thoughts. My face contorts into a look of disgust and I spit out the thing in my mouth.

Next to me, James snickers. "Why did you just eat that napkin?"

I grimace and shake my head. "That was bloody disgusting! Why was there a napkin on your plate?"

"Freddie threw it on there…" he says while still stifling a laugh.

I pull the folded up parchment out of my pocket and sigh. "I'm going to go back to the common room…" I put the parchment back into my pocket and get up from the table and tiredly walk back to the common room.

**James' POV**

Ariana and I sit down in the great hall and I immediately start putting food on my plate. Ariana, on the other hand, is just sitting next to me staring at the table. I look over at Freddie, who is snogging Bella. I toss a chip at him. It hits him on the cheek sharply.

He breaks away from Bella and narrows his eyes at me. "What the bloody hell was that for you prat?" He picks up his napkin and crumples it up into a ball. He brings his hand back and throws the napkin at me. It bounces off my face and lands on my plate. He smirks then goes back to snogging his girlfriend. I see something next to me stab at my plate. I look over just in time to see Ariana put the napkin Freddie threw at me in her mouth. She chews for a moment then a look of revulsion crosses onto her face. She spits the napkin out aggressively and grimaces.

I look over at her and snicker. "Why did you just eat that napkin?"

She keeps her grimace and shakes her head. "That was bloody disgusting! Why was there a napkin on your plate?"

I stifle more laughter. "Freddie threw it there…"

She pulls out the folded up parchment from earlier and sighs. "I'm going to go back to the common room…" She puts the parchment back into her pocket and gets up from the table. I want to follow her, but she seems like she might need some time alone. I will go up there in a bit to check on her though. I continue to eat, my mind drifting to Ari's strange behavior in that dark hallway.

I finish my food and wave to Freddie, although the wave goes unnoticed since he's still glued to Bella's face. I roll my eyes and walk out of the great hall. I quietly wander back to the common room, wondering when Ari is going to explain her odd behavior to me. She said later but it's almost curfew, which means she will be patrolling the halls all night. I walk into the common room just as she is leaving. She grabs my arm and stops me. She leans over and whispers quietly "Meet me in the Room of Requirements in five minutes." She releases my arm and flashes me a small smile. _I guess that answers THAT…_

I run up to my room and rummage through my trunk until I find what I'm looking for. I fling the invisibility cloak over myself and walk out of my room, down the stairs. I have to crouch as I walk since I AM six foot one. This cloak was apparently made for goblins and eleven year olds, because I've had to crouch underneath it since second year.

Someone walks into the common room so I awkwardly run out into the corridor just before the portrait swings shut. I hurriedly walk down the corridor toward the Room of Requirements. I wander around another corridor, putting all my concentration into finding the room Ari is in. As I walk past a stone wall for the fourth time, I hear something. I turn to look and see the ornate door to the RoR appearing in front of me. Elaborate metal curls form on a large wooden door with large cast iron loops for handles. I reach out and wrap my fingers around the cold door handle and give it a hard tug. The door creaks open and I walk in, shutting the door tightly behind me. I look around the room and smirk. This room never ceases to amaze me. It is a large rectangular room with lots of huge burning torches surrounding the room and an enormous fireplace against one wall. Facing the fireplace are two long, red couches. Against another wall is a long table full of food and lining the all across from that is a full bookshelf. There is a window with a large landing at the bottom on the wall opposite the fireplace. The landing dips down into a circular opening full of pillows and cushions. Lying amongst the cushions is Ariana. She has parchment out, along with a quill and a book. She seems so enveloped in her book that she didn't hear me come in.

I walk over to Ariana and jump down, my feet making a loud thump against the ground. Ariana jumps up, brandishing her wand as she gets up. "Who's there?"

I look at her, confused. Then I remember I'm still under the cloak. I chuckle, earning a glare and a wand pointed in my direction. I slip the cloak off and raise my hands in surrender. "Okay, you got me. Did you call me here to hold me at wand point?"

She drops her arm and places her empty hand over her chest. "What the hell? You scared the shit out of me, Jamie! What were you wearing?"

I grin and hold out the cloak. She takes it and fingers the fabric carefully. "Is this… what I think it is? Jamie, where did you get an invisibility cloak?"

She holds the cloak back out to me, and I graciously take it. "My dad gave it to me. It has helped me sneak around the castle on many occasions…" I put the cloak in my pocket and look over to where she was laying. "What were reading so intently over there?"

She sighs and walks back over there, falling into the cushions with a whoosh. I walk over and sit next to her. She holds up a creased piece of parchment with runes written on it. I look at her and raise an eyebrow. "Is this supposed to mean something to me?"

She groans and tosses an Ancient Runes Made Easy book at me. I catch the book and smirk. She looks at the parchment with a frustrated expression. She places her fingers at the bridge on her nose and sighs again. "I'm trying to translate these. I… Jamie, I haven't been entirely honest with you. It's not that I lied, I just haven't told you everything…"

I look at her with a wary expression. "Ari, you're starting to freak m out. What's going on?"

She lets out a loud huff and begins.

**Ari's POV**

"Well, on the first night of patrol, I found Landen in my corridor examining a wall. However, when I approached him to find out what he was doing, he ran away. Then the next day I overheard him and Arowena talking. They said they were looking for some runes and that they needed to find them fast. Today, during my nap, I had a dream about that corridor. Landen was there, looking at the spot where I found these. That's how I knew where to find them. I think I am supposed to translate them, but it's taking a rather long time. I'm determined to translate most of it the end of patrol. Which is why I'm here… Well, that and the RoR is probably one of the safest places to tell you everything. Jamie, so far things aren't sounding good with the translations… It mentions death a LOT." I take a deep breath and look at him expectantly.

He looks at the book I threw at him for a long time. I sigh. "Well if you're not going to help, please give me my book back."

He shakes his head. "Sorry, just processing. What do you need me to do?"

"I just need you to help me find the runes that match." I say lightly.

He nods and opens the book. I lie down by him and lay out the parchment with the runes written on it.

We stay in the RoR and work on the translation until midnight, which is when patrol is scheduled to end. We pack up our things and leave, agreeing to come back again tomorrow night. Once we get to the common room, we quietly say goodnight and go our separate ways. I look at what all we have translated and sigh.

_To release the XXXXXXXX you will need the blood of a XXXX blood XXXXXX._

_The chamber is located below the XXXXXX XXXXXXXX._

_You will need to know the XXXX of the dead to XXXXX._

_The XXXX of the dead can be heard XXXX in the XXXXXXXXX XXXXXX._

_The XXXXXXX will be XXXXXXXX so you will need XXXX to XXXXXX XXXX._

_It must be done XXXXXX a XXXX XXXX to keep XXXXXXX._

There are lots of gaps… Lots of things left unanswered… I flop into bed and drift off into a heavy sleep.

**I had a hard time writing this chapter because I feel that it's so boring, but that's only because I've written the chapter for winter holiday and I can't wait to post it. Haha**

**Anyways! Thank you to debobbumman who has stuck with the story thus far. I really appreciate your support. :)**

**Okay yall. Leave me a review with what you thought about the chapter. The winter holiday chapter will be posted soon, so be very excited for that. :)**

**Thanks yall!**

**-Tx :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 8**

**Ari's POV**

The past three months went by fairly quickly. Nothing really interesting happened. I had been pretty busy so I hadn't gotten back to translating the runes, but it had definitely been weighing on my mind. I always kept the parchment in my pocket, just in case I had any free time to translate it.

My classes had kept me exceptionally busy. The professors had really piled on the homework this year. Between classes and homework, quidditch practices, and nightly patrol my days were jam packed. I was doing well in my classes but I was really excelling in potions, which gave me great satisfaction since Landen was doing terribly. I overheard Slughorn telling him that he was going to need to find a tutor or fail the class.

My detentions during that first month with Professor Longbottom actually hadn't that bad. It had consisted of me cleaning and doing trivial tasks, which was boring, but those first three days of school had been so hectic that boring felt good. I hadn't been permitted by McGonagall to go watch the first quidditch match of the season, so I had to wait until James and Freddie got back to hear about it, although I could have guessed that they had won by the celebrating crowd of Gryffindors that had crammed themselves into the common room. Apparently Hufflepuff had been winning until James caught the snitch. We had beaten Ravenclaw as well.

Today is the Friday before winter holiday, and our Slytherine match is scheduled for today. I pull my quidditch uniform on and take a deep breath. I'm not normally nervous for quidditch matches, but this match is huge. If we win today then we will be in the playoffs for the quidditch house cup. Last year Slytherine won, and I refuse to let that happen again this year. Fun fact, I'm extremely competitive and can't stand losing. I pull my hair up and place my hands on the bathroom counter. I take another deep breath and look at the mirror. "You can do this…"

I push off the counter and walk out of the bathroom. I walk down the stairs and find James waiting in the common room. I smile and wave. "You ready to go to breakfast?"

He nods then stops, a look of confusion crosses his face. "Um, actually, no... I forgot my wand… You go ahead, I'll catch up."

I nod and walk out of the portrait. I take another calming breath and start down the corridor. I get close to the great hall and see Bella with Freddie. I give them a nervous smile and a wave but they don't see me since they are snogging. Honestly, it seems like that's all they do! I am almost to them when I get shoved against the wall. Before I can recover there is a hand on either side of me and I am pinned to the wall.

The face in front of me sneers. "Maybe you should just drop out of the match. I wouldn't want to have to ruin that lovely face of yours…"

I chuckle. "Really Landen? You think shoving me into the wall and threatening to hurt me will scare me off? You really ARE dense, aren't you?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "If hurting YOU won't scare you away, maybe we should try to knock that cocky boyfriend of yours out of the game? Bludgers can do a lot of damage to someone's head, huh?"

My eyes widen and he smirks. I place my hands on his chest and shove him backward. The movement catches him off guard so pushing him was fairly easy. I reach down into my boot and pull out my wand. I get right in front of him and place my wand under his chin. My eyes narrow and he smirks. Before I can say anything someone runs up behind me and grabs my arm.

"Come on Ari. He was just trying to bait you, and we can't afford to play today's game without you."

I roll my eyes. "Freddie, you have impeccable timing…"

We walk into the great hall and a take a seat. Freddie grabs a plate and shovels food onto it. He begins shoving large forkfuls of food into his mouth. I look across the table to Bella, who is staring at Freddie with a disgusted expression. I stifle a giggle and look at the table. I close my eyes and try to mentally prepare myself.

"OI! JAMES! GE' OVER HERE!" Freddie says with a mouth full of food. I look up and see a smirking James walking over to the table. He takes a seat between me and Freddie and grabs a plate. Freddie swallows the large amount of food in his mouth and grins at James. "So you missed Ariana and her brilliant temper just a few moments ago."

James drops his plate and looks at me with shock. I grin nervously and say "I didn't do anything!"

Freddie scoffs "Yea, because I was there! If I hadn't stopped you, you probably would have hexed him into next week!"

"You're so melodramatic!" I say while rolling my eyes.

James looks at Freddie and says "Thank you Freddie." He grabs some toast and takes a bite.

I look at the watch on his wrist and gasp. "Shit guys! We have ten minutes to get to the field!" Their eyes widen and we all jump up from the table. James grabs another piece of toast and stuffs it in his mouth. I grab James' hand and pull him out of the great hall. "Come on fatty. We have to go!"

He finishes the toast and laughs. "Okay, okay." We sprint through the corridors and get to the pitch just in time. James stops me. "Ok, last minute check. Uniform?"

I roll my eyes. "Really? Check. Good luck charm?"

He pats his uniform repeatedly. His eyes widen and his face gets ashen. "Um… no… Merlin! I have to go get it!"

I shake my head. "Jamie, the match is about to start… You can't go get it…"

We hear Madam Hooch blow her whistle, which signals that we have a minute until the match starts. It only helps to prove my point. I grab his hand and give it a squeeze and a confident smile. "You will be alright, I promise."

He shakes his head and regains his cocky composure. He looks at me with a smirk. "I know. Good luck kiss?"

I chuckle and give him a quick kiss. "Now let's go. Maybe after the match you can get a 'we won the match' kiss."

He nods with a smile and we join the team at the opening of the locker room. I nudge Freddie and give him a smile. "Don't let anything through."

He chuckles. "Do I ever?" James waves to us and we all zoom out of the locker room on our brooms. As soon as I get in the air I see Landen. He smirks at me then nods to James and brings his index finger across his neck slowly. I narrow my eyes and look for Al. I find him and flash him a smile, to which he responds with an inconspicuous wave.

Madam Hooch blows her whistle again and the match begins. The quaffle sails into the air and I race forward and snatch it out of the air. I grip it tightly under my arm and sail toward the Slytherine goal. I see Spencer up ahead so I toss it to her. She catches it with ease and immediately throws it through the right goal post.

I hear Rachelle's voice echo throughout the arena. "TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!"

The quaffle sails back up into the air and Landen grabs it. I look up and see both the Slytherine seeker, Al, and our seeker James circling above the pitch to look for the snitch. Landen zooms toward our goals completely unobstructed. I press my body firmly against the broom and speed toward him. I get as close as I can and pull at the quaffle. The tugging startles Landen and he releases it. I smirk and quickly say "Thanks" before I turn and fly in the opposite direction. I get to the goals and throw the quaffle through the low right goal again.

Rachelle yells "TEN MORE POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Once again the quaffle sails up, being caught by another Slytherine chaser. He bursts to the goal and heaves it at a hoop. Just as Freddie dives to the right to block the shot, Landen rises up and kicks the quaffle into the open hoop on the left.

Freddie curses loudly, earning a warning card from Madam Hooch.

"Yea, yea… Ten points to Slytherine…" Rachelle says. I can practically hear her rolling her eyes as she says it. "The score is now twenty-ten, Gryffindor."

After scoring three more goals and Spencer scoring two, and Landen and his stupid teammates scoring two more times, the score is seventy to thirty. I am racing toward the Slytherine goals when I hear "Wait a moment… It looks as though… YES! JAMES POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

The Gryffindor fans jump to their feet and holler. The arena fills with the sound of cheering and clapping as our fans celebrate. I smile at the sound and toss the quaffle to Spencer with a grin. Suddenly the cheers turn to gasps and screams. I quickly turn around and see a body falling limply from up high in the sky. I yank my wand out of my boot and mutter a spell, slowing the body down before it hits the ground. As soon as the body is safely on the ground Madam Hooch and Madam Pomfrey rush onto the pitch and take it to the hospital wing. The entire crowd is standing with craned necks and hands placed over their mouths or chests, watching with concern. Once they have removed the body, the crowd begins filing out of the stands silently. I fly my broom into the locker room and walk over to Freddie. "Hey Freddie, did you see who it was who got hurt?"

His eyes reflect sadness and concern. "Ariana… I don't know how to tell you this…"

"Shit, Freddie! Who was it?" I say with an edge of irritation.

He sighs and places a hand on my shoulder. "James."

**Alright guys! Let me know what you thought about this chapter!**

**Thanks! :)**

**-Tx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 9**

I can feel the blood drain from my face as I slowly back away from Freddie. I turn around and run from the locker room, bumping into people who are still leaving the arena as I do. I shove students away from me as I fight to get to the hospital wing. I don't even register the face of the people I am pushing through as I go. I can hear them murmuring but I don't care; I just want to get to the hospital wing.

I get to the hospital wing and push open the doors violently. I take a deep breath and walk over to Madam Pomfrey. "Where is he? Is he alright? What happened?"

She lets out a laugh. "Slow down! He is over there, but he's sleeping so no visitors. He will be alright; he has a small concussion right now so he's going to have to stay here for a couple of days, just so I can keep an eye on him. As for what happened… All I know is that a bludger hit him in the back of the head. He doesn't remember much from the game though so he has no idea who did it."

As she is explaining this to me Freddie comes running in. He sees us talking and walks over. He looks at both of us with a firm look. "Is he going to be alright?"

Madam Pomfrey nods. "He has a slight concussion, but he will be alright. Like I told Miss Brighton, I will be keeping him here for a couple of nights to keep an eye on him."

Freddie walks over and sits by James' bed. Madam Pomfrey clears her throat. "No visitors right now Mister Weasley!"

Freddie turns around and flips her off then turns back around. I hold back a snicker and looks at Madam Pomfrey. Her face is a crimson color and her eyes reflect anger. "Sorry about that. But that IS his cousin and teammate, and it IS my boyfriend. If we promise not to wake him, can we stay?"

Her face softens and she nods. "Only for a few moment though!"

I thank her and grab a chair. I pull it over next to Freddie and sit down. I nudge him with my elbow and smirk. "Really Freddie? Did you have to flip her off?"

"It was an illegal hit Ariana," he says through gritted teeth, "After Rach announced that he caught the snitch, that Landen guy took one of the beaters bats and hit a bludger at him. The game was already over when he hit it…"

I look at him with wide eyes. "Have you told anyone that you know who did it and what happened?"

She sighs and shakes his head. I nudge him with my elbow again. "You need to go tell McGonagall!"

"What if something happens while I'm gone?"

"Freddie, nothing is going to happen. I'm going to stay here. Now GO TELL MCGONAGALL!" I give him a stern look. He nods and leaves the hospital wing. I look back at James. His eyes are closed and his chest is slowly rising and falling with each breath. His messy hair is matted to his face with sweat and he his brow is furrowed. I reach over to the table by his bed and grab a towel. I wipe the sweat off his forehead and set the towel back down. I take a seat again and grab his hand, slowly rubbing circles with my thumb on the back of his hand. I hear footsteps coming from the doorway. I turn and see Al running toward us at full speed.

Madam Pomfrey tries to stop him. "NO VISITORS!"

Al turns around and bitterly says "Piss off! He's my brother!" He then turns around and runs to James' bed. He sits in Freddie's seat and looks at James' face. "Did you know it was him when he was falling?"

"No… I didn't know it was him until I got into the locker room and Freddie told me." I say with a sigh.

Just then James begins to stir awake. He opens his eyes cautiously and looks around. "Where the bloody hell am I?"

Al smiles. "You're at the hospital wing, mate. You took quite a nasty fall today. You're lucky Ariana is so quick with her wand or you would be hurt way more."

I feel the heat rise in my face and I shrug my shoulders. "It was nothing. How are you feeling?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "I'm alright I guess. I have a bit of a headache, but that's about it."

Apparently Madam Pomfrey heard us talking to him. She comes rushing around the corner with a stern look. "What did I tell you? Get out!" She walks over to us and waves her arms frantically, shooing us out. We turn and wave to James before Madam Pomfrey pushes us out of the hospital wing.

The week before winter holiday went by extremely fast. I went and visited James in the hospital wing every day, and snuck in to visit him again every night after patrol. According to Al, Landen got detention for a month and banned from the quidditch team for the rest of his time at Hogwarts for hitting the bludger at James. It's now the day we go back home for holiday though. I've already packed my trunk and said my goodbyes. Rachelle and Bella are going home for the holidays so I won't get to see them until we get back. I plan to sit with them on the train ride back to Kings Cross Station though.

I step onto the train and chuckle. The walkway between compartments is completely packed, so getting through to the back is going to be difficult. I begin pushing my way through the crowd when someone grabs my wrist. I try to jerk my wrist free, but the grip tightens. Suddenly I can feel someone's warm breath on my neck. "Too bad I couldn't kill your little boyfriend last week. I guess I will just have to keep at it until you know to stop meddling…" He releases my wrist with a low chuckle.

My eyes widen as I realize who was talking to me. I turn to jinx the hell out of Landen, but he is gone. I try to shake it off, but I can't. I absentmindedly push through the crowd to James' compartment. He is sitting in there with Freddie, Lorcan, Lysander, and Al. I open the compartment door and say "Can I have a moment to talk to James?"

They all get up to leave. Before he steps out, Freddie looks over at James and wiggles his eyebrows then leaves. I take a seat across from James, earning a strange look. "James… I, um… I don't really know how to say this…"

He gets up to sit next to me but I hold up my hand. "Stay." He sits back down and looks at me quizzically. I sit on my hands and look at the ground. I nervously shuffle my feet on the ground as I try to figure out what I need to say. I let a sigh escape my lips. "I, um… I don't think we should see each other anymore… I'm really sorry…" I quickly rise from the seat and grab the handle of the door.

James is trying hard to form a coherent question, but failing miserably. "Who… Why… You're… Is it… Why… What the hell?"

I shake my head and pull the door open. I take a deep breath and blink back tears. "I'm really sorry…"

I walk out of the corridor and shut the door. I bring up the back of my hand and rake it under my eyes, wiping away the tears that have escaped. I exhale sharply then make my way to the compartment that Rachelle, Logan, and Bella are sitting in. I pull open the door and take a seat between Bella and the window. She looks at me with concern. "Are you alright?"

I let out a very dramatic fake yawn and smile weakly. "Yea. I'm just really tired, that's all. I am going to sleep. Wake me when we get to the station?"

She nods, still looking concerned. I lean my head against the window and close my eyes. I try to sleep, but it evades me. Instead, the entire train ride is spent dealing with inner turmoil about breaking up with James.

_What were you thinking?_

_I was thinking that by breaking up with him, Landen would leave him alone! I'm obviously not going to stop meddling, so I need to take James out of the equation!_

_If it's not him, it will be someone else you care about…_

_I know! I can't lose everyone in one day though. I need time to figure out what I'm going to do!_

_This is obviously killing you, why don't you just go tell him what's happening and get back together with him?_

_Because that's selfish! Why would I put him in harm's way? Just so I can feel better? That's SELFISH!_

_You could still tell him what's going on. He may be able to help…_

_He doesn't care now. We're not dating anymore, remember?_

I sigh sharply and jerk myself upwards, startling Bella. She pulls back her outstretched hand and places it on her chest. "Bloody hell Ariana! You gave me such a fright! I was just getting ready to wake you. We are at the station."

I nod blankly and stand up. I quickly stretch and then grab my things. I say goodbye to Bella and Rachelle, putting as much emotion into the goodbyes as I can, and then rush off the train. As soon as I get off the train I put on a fake smile. I see the Potters standing a few feet away waving to me. I walk over and give them all a hug. After I've hugged them, I turn to Ginny and say "Can I go back to the house now? I'm feeling a bit ill…"

She places her hand on my forehead and waits a moment. "Of course. Harry, I am going to take Ariana home. I will be right back." Harry nods to her. Ginny outstretches her arm to me and I place my hand upon it. As soon as I do we apperate to Grimmauld place. She opens the door and before I can go upstairs she leads me to the kitchen. "Please sit dear."

I sigh and sit down at the kitchen table with her. She folds her hands and places them on the table. "What's going on?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I just feel ill I guess."

She chuckles lightly. "I know boy troubles when I see them. What's going on with you and James?"

"We broke up today…" I say with a heavy sigh.

She places one of her hands on top of mine. "Well he doesn't know what he's missing."

I shake her hand out from under hers and shake my head, my eyes stinging with tears. "Actually, I broke up with him. Can I go upstairs now? I don't want to be rune, but I would really like some time to be alone."

She nods and I excuse myself from the table. I make my way upstairs and into my room. I throw myself onto my bed and sigh. I lift up my arm and look at the charm bracelet resting on it.

**James' POV**

I stomp off the train and over to my family. I just see my dad and Lily standing off to the side. I walk over and say hello. My dad continues to look at the train for Al and says "You're mum took Ariana home. She said she was feeling ill. But your mum will be right back." I roll my eyes at Ariana's excuse to try and avoid me.

As he says that my mum appears next to me. "Hello Jamie. How was the train ride?"

I chuckle cynically and cross my arms. "It blew."

She gives me a look that says she knows about me and Ariana breaking up. "Why?"

"I honestly don't know." I say with a frown. Al walks off the train and gives our family their hugs.

We get back to the house and I storm up to my room. I slam my door shut and lie on my bed. I stare at the ceiling and try to run through the past couple months. _What the hell happened that would trigger this break-up?_ I lay on the bed thinking for what feels like days when my mum walks in. "Dinner's ready. Go get Ariana please."

I abruptly sit up and look at her incredulously. "Really mum? You KNOW we just broke up, and she OBVIOUSLY wants to avoid me. Why do I have to go get her? Can't Al do it?"

She shakes her head sternly. "You two need to talk. Now go get Ariana for dinner." She turns and leaves my room.

I let out a groan and get off my bed. I walk up the multiple stairs to her fifth floor room and knock on her door. "Mum says dinner is ready. Come downstairs."

I hear her lightly say "Okay" but she doesn't come out. I sigh and open the door to her room. She is sitting on the windowsill with her legs pulled up to her chest. She has her chin resting on her knees and she is looking out the window. "Bloody hell Ariana. Didn't you hear me?"

She brings her hand up to her face and wipes across her eyes. She turns and looks at me blankly. "Yes."

"Are you really that desperate to avoid me? What the hell did I do?" I say flinging my arms in the air in anger. She turns and looks back out the window. I narrow my eyes and walk closer to her. "I deserve an answer Ariana! How dare you break up with me and not tell me why! How dare you be that selfish! Did you think it wouldn't bother me, or was this some sick way of toying with me? I never pegged you as manipulative, Ariana. I guess I was wrong though…"

She gets off the sill and walks her closet. She grabs a scarf, a hat and some gloves. She puts everything on and starts to walk out of her room. I follow after her. "Where the hell are you going?"

She doesn't even slow down. "I'm going to visit Carter."

We are at the bottom of the stairs now. She opens the front door; light flurries of snow dancing through the opening, and walks outside. I quickly grab some shoes and follow after her. "Ariana! WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS!"

**Please don't hate me for breaking them up! I promise it's conducive to the story!**

**Let me know what you thought about everything!**

**Love yall and appreciate your support! :)**

**-Tx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**C****hapter 10**

**Ari's POV**

I walked out into the brisk winter air, tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. I bring up my glove covered hand and wipe my eyes with it. I can hear James calling out angrily after me but I ignore him. _I can't do this right now…_

I walk the path that leads to the graveyard where Carter is buried. The streetlamps illuminate the dark night as I walk along the snow covered sidewalk, the light snow falling from the sky softly landing on my exposed face. I just want to talk to him, to figure out why I am so angry all the time. I just want things to go back to the way they were before. I was happy before, but not now I should have expected it though. For me, nothing stays good for long. It begins to snow a bit harder so pull at the scarf around my neck, readjusting it so that it covers my mouth. I can't hear James calling after me anymore, so I assume he's given up on me. I wouldn't blame him though. I had treated him terribly and kept secrets from him. I had broken up with him without giving him an explanation as to why. It had been to keep him safe though! He would never understand my reasoning, I'm not even sure I understood it. I wanted to explain but I didn't know how. Instead, I just let him vocalize his hurt feelings toward me.

I step into the graveyard and sigh, my breath steaming against the cold air. I kneel into the frosty snow in front of Carter's headstone.

"Hey Carter… How are you? Ha! Dead… That's how you are… Happy winter holiday, Carter. Yea, it's winter holiday. It's been almost six months since your death. I didn't realize how much your death affected me until the start of the term. I've been so angry, all the time… McGonagall says it's because "I'm grieving and need closure." How the hell am I supposed to get closure when you were murdered?"

Just then I hear a crunching behind me. "James… I don't want to do this right now…" I turn around and gasp. Standing behind me is Carter. Or, someone who looks like Carter. His body is slumped in an awkward way and he has dirt and snow on him. He is a shallow grey color and his blonde hair is patchy and gross. "Carter?" He looks and me and screeches, sending a shiver down my spine. I reach for my wand and curse under my breath as my hand finds an empty boot. I look at him and shudder. His slumped body is slowly moving toward me. He screeches again and he is joined by two other "people" who form a triangle around me. His mouth twists into a menacing smile, his pointy teeth glimmering in the moonlight.

I slowly rise up and look around for an escape. _If I trip Carter, then I can maybe get away…_ I look around for another option, but to no avail. I mutter another curse and prep myself. I quickly swing my leg at Carter's legs, sweeping them out from under him. He falls to the ground loudly and I hurdle over him. Something grabs my ankle as I jump over him, its sharp nails digging into my flesh. I scream in pain and fall to the ground. I look back and see blood in the snow. I blink back tears of pain and scramble up and run with a hobble.

I exit the graveyard and run right into James. We both fall to the ground. I get up and pull him up behind me. He rubs his chest "What the f-" I cut him off with a violent tug at his sweater as I run away. I look back, fear filling me completely. There isn't anything behind me. I let out a sigh of relief and slow down. James jerks his sweater free from my grasp. "What the hell Ariana?" His tone is sharp and hurtful. I shake my head and walk forward. _Maybe I had just imagined everything back in the graveyard?_

Just then a body slams down into the ground in front of me. I back away as fresh tears spring to my eyes. My father is standing before me, his face dark and menacing. His eyes are narrowed and his smile frightening, his grey skin pallid in the moonlight. He looks up and lets out a loud, piercing screech. Carter hits the ground next to my father. A blonde woman lands next to Carter and I gasp. I recognize her from photos.

"Mom?" She sneers evilly and reaches a mud and blood covered hand toward me.

James jumps in front of me and points his wand at the figures. "What the hell are these things?"

I gulp loudly. "I think they're Inferi… "

At the mention of their name they go wild, screeching loudly. I hear more snow crunching and assume there are more coming to help them. I look around again for an escape. We are on a muggle street and multiple blocks away from Grimmauld place. I sigh heavily and look around more desperately. I see a car parked a couple of feet away and grin. I grab James' hand and quickly pull him toward the car, the white snow crunching under the weight of our strides. I punch the window with my glove covered hand and unlock the car. I look over to James and say "Get in…"

He looks at me incredulously. "You can't drive…"

I give him an intimidating look. "If you want to get through this, get your ass in the car!" He gives me another odd look then gets in.

As soon as we get in, I bend down and pull out a pair of wires from the car. I rip them apart and hastily try to hotwire the car, muttering very unladylike words under my breath at every failed attempt. Suddenly the car roars to life, and just in time. The instant the car starts a large group of Inferi comes running up over the hill, screeching wildly as they do.

I press my foot against the clutch and shift the car into gear while slamming my foot into the gas pedal. We fishtail away from the curb, jostling James around harshly. He shoots me a dirty look and puts his seatbelt on. He then leans out the window and begins shooting a flurry of spells at them. None of his spells seem to affect them though. I turn to him and say "We can't go back to your house with them following. They will find out where the safe house is… You need to send a patronus message to your parents!"

He looks at me with wide eyes. I return his gaze, my eyes more pleading. "James, I don't have a wand. You NEED to send them a patronus…" He sighs and closes his eyes for a moment. He opens his eyes back up and firmly says "Expecto Patronum!"

A silver coyote shoots out from the end of his wand and darts in the direction of the safe house. I jerk the steering wheel to the right and we drift around a corner sharply. Snow sprays up from our tires as we go around the turn. The car straightens out and we zoom forward. Suddenly the Inferius version of my father jumps onto the hood of the car. He slams his hand through the windshield, sending glass spraying into the car. I turn my head away but keep my hands on the wheel. He reaches his bony fingers at me and grabs my sweater; his razor sharp nails grazing my skin, cutting my chest and ripping the fabric. I jerk the wheel to the right again to try and fling my father off the car. My action however, sends our car up over a curb and sailing into a snow bank. The Inferius flies off the car into the darkness ahead.

I look at James and we climb out of the car. It has started snowing really hard now. I look around but can't see anything through the thick snowfall. A pair of bony hands shoot out from in front of us and grab James. My eyes widen as I see them raise him up. It throws him against the snow bank, knocking his wand from his hand. The Inferius jumps at him with a screech, its arms and hands positioned perfectly for a deadly strike. James rolls out of the way just in time which angers the Inferius. I scramble over to grab his wand, but get tackled by the Inferius who looks like my mother. I shoot a desperate glance over to James, in hopes that he is okay, and see him grappling with the Inferius who looks like Carter. I can see the snow around him reddening with blood as the Inferius digs its claws into James shoulders. Its mouth is opened wide as it tries to bite James.

The Inferius on me bares its teeth in an attempt to bite me, its grip tight and sharp against my shoulders. I can feel its nails cutting my skin and I cry out in pain. I stretch my arm out to grab James' wand. I am just inches from it… If I could only stretch a little further… I squeeze my eyes shut and stretch my arm to its limit, my fingers grazing the wood of the wand. Suddenly the Inferius brings down its fist violently onto my shoulder. I hear a loud "pop" and searing pain shoots through my shoulder and arm. I clench my teeth at the pain and push against its snarling face as it snaps it teeth at me.

I can't see how we are going to get out of this. I look at James again, desperation dripping from my face. The Inferius he is fighting has its face just inches from his, and it's getting closer and closer with each moment. I feel a burst of adrenaline and kick my legs out forcefully. My feet connect with the torso of the body and send it flying off of me. I roll over and quickly grab James' wand. I point my wand at the Inferius fighting with him and yell "Reducto!"

The spell hits the body and shoots it off into the distance; however the blast knocks James out. I cradle my arm and rush over to James. I stand above him protectively, his wand in my good hand.

I can't see it through the whiteout blizzard, but I can hear more Inferi shuffling quickly toward us. I can feel myself beginning to panic as I realize I'm all alone out here. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I raise the wand and yell out a spell that shoots a large red spark into the sky. The light turns the white sheets of snowfall a brilliant red, revealing the large expanse of Inferi encircling us. One walks closer and swipes at me, knocking the wand out of my hand. Another jumps from the crowd and tackles me to the ground. I gasp as the wind is knocked out of me. I weakly put up my good arm and block its face from mine. It pushes against my arm with a throaty growl. It brings its hand up and scratches me across the face. I groan and try to turn away without success.

The last thing I remember seeing is a flash of orange encircling us. I weakly turn my head and mutter "James…" Then my world goes dark.

**Okay guys! This was absolutely one of my favorite chapters to write and I couldn't wait to post it for you guys!**

**So let me know what you thought about it! :)**

**Love yall!**

**-Tx**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 11**

**James' POV**

I open my eyes and look around. The sun is shining into my room brightly and the rays are resting directly on my face. My bedroom door opens and shuts. I try to bring my hand up to block the sun so I can see who's in my room but, as I raise my arm, a pain shoots through my shoulder. I wince at the pain and lower my arm. "Who is it?"

The person chuckles lightly. "Just your favorite brother…" _Oh Al, you make it too easy…_

I smirk and say "Teddy?"

Al walks over to my bed and sets a tray of food down. "You hurt me brother! How are you feeling?"

I lightly shrug my shoulders. "Alright I guess. I'm a little sore all over, and currently blind. Can you shut my blinds please?" He laughs and pulls out his wand. He waves the wand and the blinds snap shut. "Thanks you."

He nods and turns back to me. "You know, you and Ariana had us pretty scared. You guys have been out cold for almost two days… Mum and dad said that if she hadn't shot up that red spark then they wouldn't have been able to find you two. Dad said that there were at least a thousand Inferi around you guys. She is up in her room, you know. Now that you two aren't dating, mum and dad probably won't mind you two being alone in the room together anymore…"

"Okay good. Because I have QUITE a few questions I need answered NOW." I say while gingerly getting out of my bed.

Al opens the door for me and says "Just try not to be too loud up there. Mum and dad might be alright with you two being in the room together, but they probably don't want to have to break up any fights."

I grab the food tray and walk out the door "Yea, yea. Piss off." I slowly make my way up to the fifth floor and knock on her door. I have so many questions buzzing around in my head, the first of which is what the hell happened at the cemetery two days ago. I knock on the door again and hear her say "Come in."

I open the door and walk over to her bed. She scoots over to the right and gestures for me to sit next to her. I comply and sit down, setting the food on my lap. I lean back against the headboard and look ever at her.

Her blonde hair is in a very messy pony tail. She is wearing a tank top, which shows of multiple cuts on her upper chest and right shoulder and a large bandage wrapped around her left shoulder. Her left arm is in a sling that is pinned to her body. Her right leg is resting atop the blanket and has four cuts on it. Her left cheek has four long cuts on it. I let out a chuckle. "You look like shit."

"Gee thanks James. You really know how to flatter a girl." She says with a smirk and an eye roll.

I look at her with a raised eyebrow. "So you're talking to me now?"

She grabs some fruit off of my food tray and frowns. "Yea… Sorry about that. You have to understand that, as cliché as it may sound; it had nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. I had come into some… _information_ that made me think that ending things was a good idea." She pops the fruit in her mouth and looks out the window.

I lean my head back against her headboard. "Well what do you think now?"

She pulls her hair out of the pony tail and continues to look out the window. "Um…"

I decide I would rather not know right now. I eat a piece of fruit and change the subject. "What information made you think that?"

She looks back at me. "Did you know Landen hit that bludger at you on purpose?"

I laugh and say sarcastically. "Oh really? I had NO idea…"

She ignores my sarcasm and continues. "Did you know he alluded to it before the match? And on the train he said he was upset that the bludger hadn't killed you. He also said he was going to have to keep trying until I learned how to stop meddling…"

"What were you meddling in?"

She sighs and blushes a bit. "I MAY have been caught eavesdropping…"

I look at her incredulously as I pick up another piece of fruit. "YOU? Caught eavesdropping?"

She laughs and nods. "I know! Shocking huh?" She steals the piece of fruit I'm holding and eats it.

"So you thought that breaking up with me would stop that prat from 'killing' me? That's a bit melodramatic don't you think? Why didn't you just come talk to me about this?"

She shrugs her shoulders with a wince. She brings her free arm up and rubs the wrapped shoulder. "It was MY problem. I didn't want to concern anyone else with it. By the way, I finished translating that parchment. It has to do with the Inferi too."

I hold up my hand. "You keep using that word. What the hell are Inferi?"

She sighs and looks back out the window. "Inferi, or singularly Inferius, are dead bodies that have been reanimated by a dark wizard. They don't have free will or a way to think for themselves; they are merely puppets for the dark wizard who reanimated them. The only way to defeat them is with light, which is why your spells weren't doing anything the other night."

I nod. "Is that why one of them looked like Carter? And did I hear you call one of them 'mom'?"

She nods solemnly. "The first three that attacked us were Carter, my mom and my dad." She points to the cuts on her chest. "My 'dad' did this to me…" she moves her hand to her shoulder. "…and my 'mom' did this to me. That asshole made my own bloody parents try to kill me…"

"Wait, you know who sent them out after you?" I say curiously.

She sighs. "Well, I have an idea. But first, the translation." She slowly leans over to the bedside table next to her and pulls a crumpled up piece of parchment out of a book. She leans back and hands it to me. I unfold the parchment and read.

_To release the Inferi you will need the blood of a pure blood wizard._

_The chamber is located below the prefect bathroom._

_You will need to know the song of the dead to enter._

_The song of the dead can be heard deep in the forbidden forest._

_The journey will be perilous so you will need fire to remain safe._

_It must be done during a rain storm to gain control._

I fold up the parchment and hand it back to her. She takes it graciously and says "I mistranslated a few things, but I think this is correct now. I think the shrieking they were doing is 'the song of the dead'. I also think that the multitude of Inferi that attacked us was an army of Inferi who were released with 'the blood of a pure blood'. So when we get back to Hogwarts, I'm going to be paying a visit to the prefect's bathroom."

I nod firmly. "I'm going with."

She tilts her head. "James. We aren't dating anymore."

"I know, I know. You ran into 'information' that made breaking up seem like a good idea." I say while rolling my eyes.

She nods. "Exactly. I don't want you to feel like you HAVE to go with me."

I laugh. "I DON'T feel like I have to go. I WANT to! Plus, you're going to need someone there to protect you…"

She scoffs. "I don't need anyone to protect me!"

"Yea, like in the cemetery right?" I say with a smirk. It may have only been two days, but I had missed the witty banter we were so good at.

She nudges my leg with hers. She probably would have used her shoulder, but that currently isn't an option since it's injured. "I'm pretty sure I protected you DESPITE having an injured shoulder. PLUS I basically drove us to safety!"

I look at her. "I forgot about that! Where did you learn to drive like that?"

She blushes brightly and smirks. "I had a muggle godfather. He was a nice enough guy, but he was essentially a criminal. He owned a race track. One year, when I was like nine or ten, my dad came here for work. He sent me to live with my godfather for that year. He was great. He taught me to drive on his race track and how to fix cars. He was gone a lot though. After the first month I realized what he was actually doing when he was gone. I overheard him planning another theft, so rather than punish me he included me. He taught me how to hotwire cars like a pro. He also taught me how to hide myself in the shadows and sneak around for the most part."

I look at her with wide eyes. "You helped him STEAL cars?"

"He told me that we were stealing them back! He said that those people had stolen those cars from him and we were just getting them back!" She says loudly, throwing her good arm in the air.

I chuckle. "And you BELIEVED him?"

She hits me with her foot again. "I was young! And I didn't WANT to think of him as a criminal. I ended up having to testify against him though. One night, when we were stealing a couple of cars for his track, the police showed up and arrested him. They let me go though, since I was so young. They DID tell me I would have to testify in court against him though, so I did. I actually lived on the streets after he was arrested; just until my dad got back from here."

I smirk at her. "You were homeless?"

This time she reaches her good hand over and punches me in the arm with a laugh. "THAT'S what you got from all of that?"

"Well that, and that you are very good at being in denial."

She grabs a piece of fruit and throws it at me. "I hate you."

I place my hand on my chest and frown. "Ariana, you wound me. Now you're going to have to pay."

"You wouldn't do anything to me, I'm injured!" she says with a grin.

I shrug. "Well… you DO only have one arm to defend yourself. How do you think you would fare against being tickled?"

Her eyes widen and she puts up her hand defensively. "James, you wouldn't…"

I grin and nod. "Oh but I would…" I poke her in the side.

She slaps my hand away playfully. "Don't you touch me Jamie!" I move my hands closer to her and she looks at me warily. "Jamie… I'm warning you…"

I continue to move my hands closer. "I'm pretty sure you can't do anything about it." I swiftly bring my hands to her sides and wiggle my fingers. She lets out a squeal and tries to wriggle free from my grasp. Her feet kick out, wrinkling the blanket beneath us.

She gasps and desperately pleads with me between laughs. "Jamie! Please… s-stop!"

I smirk. "Are you sorry that you hit me?"

"YES! I'M SORRY!"

I relent my tickling and grin at my triumph. She takes a deep breath and smirks. "I REALLY hate you."

I let out a laugh. "That's a lie and you know it."

"Nope, I hate you. No lie!" Her smirk turns to a grin.

I sigh with a smile as I prop myself up on my elbow to face her. "I bet I can prove that you don't…"

She shakes her head. "I bet you can't!"

I shrug my shoulders and sigh. "How about we make this interesting then. If I win then you have to go as my date to the Christmas party at the burrow."

She nods. "Fine… And if I win, you have to make me dinner. WITHOUT MAGIC."

I nod and smirk. "Perfect. Now, prepare to lose." I place my hand on the right side of her face and I firmly press my lips against hers. At first she seems surprised, but her shock fades and she gets into the kiss more. I smile and wrap my fingers into her hair. She uses her free hand to grab my shirt and pull me closer. I pull back from the kiss and smirk. I lean back against the headboard again and say "So does this mean I win the bet?"

She sighs sharply. "Asshole…"

"I'll take that as a yes…" I say with a grin.

She looks at me. "Whatever, you cheated."

I look at her and laugh. "How did I cheat? We didn't establish any rules for the bet!"

She gets off of the bed and walks to her bathroom. I watch her as she walks away. "Where are you going?"

She sighs. "I need to shower."

I laugh and say "Alright. I will just wait out here. We still need to discuss outfits for the party!"

**Okay yall! This winter holiday portion is definitely lots of fun to write up, so I hope you are enjoying them as much as I am. :)**

**Leave me a review with your thoughts and opinions!**

**Thanks! :)**

**-Tx**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 12**

**Ari's POV**

My shoulder had healed nicely in the past two weeks. It was still a bit sore, but I didn't have to have it wrapped up and pinned to my body, so that was good. It healed just in time too. The Christmas party at the Burrow was tonight. Bella had been invited, since she is dating Freddie, so I had her come over to the Potter's to help me with my hair and make-up.

She is pinning up my hair into a bun when James walks in. I smirk. "Don't you ever knock? What if we had been naked?"

He rolls his eyes. "Two naked girls. Yea that would be REALLY terrible…"

Bella laughs and says "Wrong, it would be terrible. You would have been getting your ass kicked by two naked girls. I'm not sure it would be worth it."

He shrugs his shoulders while walking over to me bed. He plops down and says "I still don't see a down side."

I look at him in the mirror and roll my eyes. "Is there a reason you came in here?"

"I actually wanted to talk to you."

I let out a sigh. "Bells, can you give us a moment?"

She nods warily. "Okay, but when I get back we are going to do your make-up. Try not to do anything to mess up your hair." She turns away and leaves the room.

I turn around and look at him. "I'm going to go get changed into my dress so you're going to have to talk through my bathroom door."

He chuckles. "Alright fine."

I walk into the bathroom and shut the door. The look on James face doesn't escape me before I enter the bathroom though. It is a look of nervousness. I disregard the look and take my dress off the hangar. James and I had agreed on wearing red, and it turns out the party is a formal party, so my dress is a deep red floor length dress. It is a sweetheart neckline top with a light red tulle floor length fabric for the skirt. The top has white lace lining the top of the dress. I hear James clear his throat. I had forgotten he was in my room… "So what did you want to talk about?"

He clears his throat again. "I actually just wanted to tell you that you don't have to go to the party with me if you don't want to."

I open the bathroom door and poke my head out. "You won the bet not so fair and square though. A deal's a deal."

He rolls his eyes. "I would rather you go with me because you want to, not because you lost a bet."

I smirk. "Well I don't TOTALLY hate you, which we established a while ago, and I wouldn't have agreed to the bet if I didn't want to go."

"Does this mean you WANT to go as my date?" he asks with a grin.

I roll my eyes and smile. "I guess so. Don't let it go to your head though! Now, can you hand me my shoes please?" I point to a pair of deep red high heels sitting at the end of my bed.

He looks at me questioningly. "Why can't you get them?"

"Because I don't want you to see my dress yet! Not until the party. Now, my shoes?"

He rolls his eyes and crawls to the end of my bed. He reaches down and picks them up off the floor. He walks over and hands them to me. "Alright, well that was all I really wanted to talk about, so I'm going to head over to the Burrow with dad, Al, and Teddy now. See you tonight."

I take the shoes politely and say with a smile "Thank you. I will see you tonight."

He nods and walks out of the room. A few moments later Bella walks back in. "What did he want to talk about?"

I shrug. "He just wanted to talk about tonight. By the way, can you come button up my dress?"

She walks into the bathroom and squeals. "Oh Ari! You look gorgeous!"

I look at her in the mirror and smile widely. She is in an off the shoulder blue, knee length dress that flairs out as the waist. She has blue heels and pearls jewelry on. She has her hair up in an intricate bun and her eyes are a smoky black with white at the inner corners of her eyes. "Bells! So do you! Blue is definitely your color."

She grins and curtseys. "Thank you, thank you. Now, we have ten minutes until we leave so let's do your make-up really quick!"

We finish my make-up, which is just a gold smoky eye with light red lips, and leave my room. We carefully walk down five flights of stairs in our heels. Once we make it to the bottom, we meet Lily and Ginny in the kitchen. As soon as we get into the kitchen Ginny extends her arms out. We all grab onto her arms and apperate to the party.

We land in an empty kitchen. Ginny leads us out back to a very large tented area full of people. As soon as we step outside we can hear the music playing and people talking and laughing. Ginny smiles and calls out "Mum! We're here!" We walk into the tent and I am immediately abandoned by Bella and Ginny. Bella saw Freddie and ran over to be with him and Ginny ran over to talk to her mum, so I am left standing at the entrance with Lily. She taps my arm and smiles sympathetically. "Ari, I see my friends over there. Can I go talk to them?"

I chuckle and nod. "Absolutely! I will be fine. Go have fun!" She yells a quick thanks over her shoulder then runs to her friends. I slowly look around the room for someone I know. I thought the party was only going to be Potter's and Weasley's, but there are other people from Hogwarts and adults I don't know here as well. It looks as if the whole Gryffindor quidditch team is here, along with their dates. Lorcan and Lysander are here too, along with Logan, Christiana, and Rachelle. I spot Alec across the room and make my way over to him. "Hey Alec. How's your holiday going?"

He turns and his eyes widen. "Damn Ariana. You look great!"

I blush at his compliment and smile. "Thanks Alec. You look very handsome tonight." He really does look nice. His black hair is combed to the side and he is wearing a black dress robe with a red tie. "Did you bring a date?"

He nods with a grimace. "Yes… I brought Ashlynn Silverton with me."

I raise an eyebrow and frown. "Ew. Why?" I already knew the answer, but I asked anyways to hear what lie she fed him.

He shrugs. "Well she heard you and James broke up so she thought she could get with him tonight. Did you come with a date?"

_Hm… I guess she didn't lie to him… _I nod. "I came as James' date, actually."

"Well then Ashlynn is going to have to watch out, because with you looking like that she's going to have some MAJOR competition." He says with a smirk.

I laugh and shake my head. "Whatever! Speaking of James, have you seen him?"

He points to the house. "He's in the house. I was just getting ready to head in there. Would you care to accompany me?"

I almost turn him down but then I remember that I've never been here before so there is the very strong potential that I could get lost looking for him. I nod and politely loop my arm through his. "Why Alec, I would love to! Lead the way!"

We walk into the house arm in arm with Alec telling awful jokes and me laughing at them. Despite the fact that they are terrible jokes, the fact that he can't get through the punch line without laughing is hilarious. Plus, he has a very infectious laugh; you just can't help but laugh with him. We get into the house and walk to the living room. James is sitting on the couch talking to Spencer and Al. When Alec and I walk into the room Al smirks, Bella smiles, and James' mouth drops. I feel the heat rise in my face and I look at the ground bashfully. Alec unhooks his arm from mine and says "Spence, Monroe is outside looking for you."

She gets up off the couch and smiles at Alec. "Thanks little brother." She turns to Al and says "Can you escort me outside please?" Al nods and gets off the couch. He and Spencer leave the living room in silence, smiles playing on their faces.

Alec looks around and says "I'm uh… I have to pee." With that, he turns and leaves the room quickly.

I laugh at his awkwardness and internally thank everyone for leaving. I look at James, who is still staring with an open mouth, and smirk. "So this place is awesome. Well, from what I've seen anyways."

He blinks a bit and says "What all have you seen?"

"Um… The kitchen, the living room, and the backyard."

He laughs. "Well you haven't seen anything yet. Do you want a tour?"

I nod vigorously, my bun bobbing on top of my head with the movement. He holds his arm out to me and grins. "Let's go then!" I wrap my arm through his and nod, gesturing for him to lead the way. He leads me out front into a field. We turn around and look back toward the house.

The Burrow is amazing. It looks like it has two houses stacked on top of a house and like it could fall at any moment. It is surrounded by a large field and there is a garage off to the side. We walk back into the house and stand by the stairs. He has me look up. I see multiple flights of stairs. I kick off my shoes and smirk at him. "Race you to the top."

He looks at me with a raised eyebrow and a grin. "You're on…"

We line up next to each other and I say "3…2…1!" We both sprint up the stairs, lightly shoving each other as we go. I lead the way as we get up to the first floor but James takes the lead at the second floor. The third floor is too close to call so I concoct a plan for the next floor. We get to the fourth floor and are about to round the stairs when I trip and fall. I grasp my ankle and yell "OW!" James stops running up the stairs and quickly makes his way back down. He gets next to me with a panicked look. He crouches down and says "Oh Merlin! Are you alright? What happened?"

I grimace and say "Just help me up!"

He stands up and reaches an outstretched hand to me. I grab it and yank down forcefully. He falls to the ground and I jump up. "Sucker!" I run up the stairs and get to the fifth and final floor.

James slowly makes his way up the stairs. Once he gets to the top I look at him with a smirk. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "You know you cheated…"

I shrug my shoulders and wink. "I guess that makes us even for the bet a few weeks ago."

"We should probably head back to the party." He says with a chuckle.

I nod in agreement. "Yea probably. I'll race you to the bottom…"

He looks at me with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"

I nod again and grin. "Unless you're afraid you're going to lose again…"

"Alright, you're on. But NO CHEATING THIS TIME! And I get to count us off." We line up at the top of the stairs and he says "3…2…1…GO!"

We both bound down the multiple flights of stairs, laughing the entire time. James makes it to the bottom floor first, but I am right behind him. He turns and looks at me with a grin. "Loser!"

I roll my eyes while I slip my heels back on. "Mhm, right. Except I let you win…" I stand slip my arm back around his with a playful grin. "Let's go."

We make our way through the living room. I look at James. "I didn't know Spencer knew Monroe…"

He nods with pursed lips. "They are actually best friends. They showed up here together."

I nod. "But Spence is so nice… How could she be best friends with such a terrible person?"

"I'm not sure." He says with a shoulder shrug. We emerge outside and make our way to the tent. As soon as we walk in Bella comes running at me. "ARIANA! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR?"

She whips out her wand to fix my hair but I stop her. "Bells, it's fine. It's probably just going to get messed up again anyways."

Bella rolls her eyes. "Fine. Your hair is a mess, but do what you want."

Freddie intervenes. "Bells, honey, she looks fine. Let's go dance." He grabs her hand and pulls her into the middle of the tent to dance.

James extends his hand and smiles, but before he can ask me to dance someone taps him on the shoulder. He turns around and Ashlynn is standing behind him with an impish grin. "James, would you like to dance?"

He glances at me pleadingly but Ashlynn pulls him away before I can say anything. I want to dance, so I go looking for Alec. I find him sitting at a table looking bored. I tap him on the shoulder and smile. "Hey Alec. Would you like to dance? You don't HAVE to say yes if you don't want to!"

He chuckles and stands up. "I would love to." He grabs my hand and we walk out onto the dance floor. The song is a slow one so I place my hands on his shoulders and places his on my waist. "So why exactly did you bring Ashlynn?"

He shrugs. "I already told you."

I shake my head. "I mean, why did you let her use you like that? Why didn't you ask someone you fancy?"

"She wouldn't have said yes…" He looks a bit somber now.

I look at him with wide eyes. "And why not? You don't know unless you ask her! Who is it?"

He looks around and quietly says "It's Rose…"

A gigantic grin spreads on my face. I look around for her and see her sitting at a table looking uninterested. I drop my hands from Alec's shoulders. He looks at me with a hurt expression. "What?"

I point over to Rose and say "Go ask her to dance."

He looks at her sheepishly. "But what if-"

I hold my hand up and cut him off. "Go. Now."

He picks me up and wraps me in a hug and smiles. "Thanks Ari. You're the best." He sets me back down and walks over to the table she is sitting at. I watch him as he interacts with her. I can see him tapping his foot on the ground nervously as he holds out his hand. She looks up with a big smile and accepts his invitation. I smile as I watch them walk out onto the floor to dance.

I start to walk off to sit down when someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn and smile politely. There is a tall, muscular boy with neatly combed blonde hair and green eyes almost as bright as mine. He looked very similar to me. He could have easily been my brother if I hadn't been an only child. He smiles at me. "Hi, I'm Rylan Adonis. Would you like to dance?"

I really don't want to dance, but I don't want to be rude either so I accept his invitation. We walk out onto the floor and I place my hands on his shoulders. He places his hands on my waist and we dance in silence. After a few moments I realize I never introduced myself. I clear my throat and say "I'm A-"

He laughs and cuts me off. "Oh, I know who you are. You're Ariana Brighton. You are the American who James went out with. You're the Gryffindor house prefect and the chaser on the Gryffindor quidditch team."

I look around awkwardly. "That was… creepy. How do you know so much about me? I just met you…"

Before he can answer someone interrupts us. "Can I cut in?"

I look over and let out a sigh of relief. "Yes please." Rylan looks hurt, but I really don't care. His knowledge of me freaked me out a bit. I grab James hand and we walk away. "Hey Jamie, who is Rylan?"

He shrugs. "Is that his name? I'm not sure, he is one of Freddie's friends. Why?"

"No reason." I say while looking around. That Rylan guy had an odd look on his face when I walked off with James. We get to a spot that I feel is far enough away from Rylan and I stop James. "You know, I thought I was your date."

He looks at me curiously. "Yea, why?"

I grin. "Because I've managed to dance with everyone EXCEPT my date, including a creeper!"

He laughs and wraps his arms around me. "Everyone huh? I was only gone for like, ten minutes!"

I wrap my arms around his neck and chuckle. "How was your dance with Ashlynn?"

He shudders dramatically. "It was awful! She kept trying to stick her tongue in my mouth! And she grabbed my butt at least six times! And… Why are you laughing? IT'S NOT FUNNY!"

I have tears rolling down my cheeks I'm laughing so hard. I remember Ashlynn saying she would basically sexually assault James if she ever got him alone, but I didn't know she was serious. The image I got in my head was priceless. I take a deep, calming breath and try to get the grin off my face. "I'm sorry, you're right. It's not funny. It's traumatic, really."

He chuckles. "I guess I can forgive you for laughing at my trauma. But-"

Freddie and Bella run over and interrupt our conversation. "Hey you two love bi-"

I shoot him a look that makes him rethink his word choice.

He laughs. "Hey you two. A couple of us are going to go play a game inside. Do you want to come with?"

James and I nod. "Yea we'll be in in just a second."

Freddie and Bella nod then run inside. I look at James curiously. "Why aren't we going in now?"

He smirks. "We are going to finish our dance first." The song we were dancing to end a few seconds after he says that.

I drop my arms and grab his hand. "Alright, let's go get our game on." I drag him behind me as we run to the house. We get into the house and see a group of people in the living room. We walk into the group and Freddie sees us. He smiles and says "Okay! Now the party can start!" He leads everyone upstairs to the fifth floor and has us sit in a circle. He passes around some firewhiskey, but I decline. I can't stand feeling out of control and I'm a rather lightweight, so I refuse to drink unless I'm only around people I trust. Since Monroe, Ashlynn and Rylan are here, drinking is out of the question. Rylan grabs a bottle of the firewhiskey and winks at me. James must have noticed because he scoots closer to me.

Freddie pulls out a deck of cards and grins. "We're going to play strip poker. Who wants to deal?"

Ashlynn grabs deck and deals the cards out to everyone. I look at my hand and internally grin. I have a pair of kings and a pair of fives. We each give her our cards that we want to trade in and she replaces them with some from the deck. I pick up the card I get and frown. It's a two of hearts. Freddie looks around the table and smirks. "Okay. We will put out cards down and call out what we have one at a time." He lays his cards down. "Pair of queens."

Bella lays her cards down and smiles. "Full house."

Al lies his cards down and sighs. "I don't have anything."

Rylan slaps his cards down and says "Pair of kings and pair of fives."

Rose sighs and drops her cards. "I'm out. I'm going to go read." Alec follows closely behind her.

I set my cards down gently. "Two pair. Kings and fives."

James lays his cards down. "Pair of aces."

Monroe drops her cards and frowns. "Pair of twos…"

Ashlynn lays her cards down and sighs, stealing a glance at James. "I don't have anything."

Bella smiles largely. "I win! You better get to stripping! One article of clothing! Take it off now!"

I kick off my heels and put them to the side. Everyone else kicks off their shoes as well.

Rylan finishes off his firewhiskey and looks at Freddie. "Can I get some more firewhiskey?"

While Freddie goes to get Rylan some more firewhiskey, Monroe looks at me with a smirk. "What's that Ashlynn? You said Ariana's not drinking because she's a prude bitch?"

I let out a chuckle. "Wait, a couple of weeks ago you were calling me a slut and now you're saying I'm prude. Well, which is it?"

She shrugs. "Well you're both of course. A prude slut."

I look over to James who is stifling his laughter then look back at Monroe with a smirk. "Monroe, it is LITERALLY impossible to be both prude AND a slut."

Just then Freddie comes back up the stairs with more bottles of firewhiskey. He distributes them around and sits back down. He then picks up the deck of cards and deals them out.

Al wins this round, so the boys take off their ties and socks, and the girls let their hair down and take off their jewelry. I take off all my jewelry except my charm bracelet from James, which doesn't go unnoticed by Ashlynn. "Um, Ariana? Are you trying to cheat or are you just dense?"

I look at her with a raised eyebrow. "Pardon me?"

She rolls her eyes. "Your charm bracelet. Take it off."

I shake my head. "Not going to happen. I haven't taken it off since I got it, sorry."

Freddie intercedes before things can get out of hand. "Okay Ashlynn! Your turn to deal."

I hold up my hand. "Before I am completely naked, I'm going to go get some food from downstairs."

Bella nods. "Now WOULD be a great time for a bathroom and food break. Let's regroup in ten minutes."

I jump up and make my way down the stairs and into the tent. I grab a plate and fill it with finger foods. As I work my way through the crowded tent someone reaches out and grabs a sandwich off my plate. I turn to see who it is and smirk. "Are you following me?"

James smirks as he eats the stolen sandwich. "Me? I would never!" I roll my eyes and continue walking toward the house with James following closely behind. I set my plate of food down on the table in the kitchen and grab two cups. I turn and look at James with a smirk. "Why exactly are you following me?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Just had a question. But if I'm bothering you…"

I shake my head. "No, you're not bothering me. In fact, with you around, creepy Rylan hasn't approached, despite the fact that he's staring over here. What is your question?"

He nods toward my wrist. "Have you really kept it on since your birthday?"

I nod and fill the cups with water. He tilts his head at me. "Why?" I walk over and balance the food plate on top of a cup. I slowly raise it up and try to walk with it. I only get a few feet before James takes the food plate. "Why have you kept it on even after we broke up?"

I shrug as we walk up the stairs. "It has value to me. It reminds me that my life has the potential to go well since it did once before. Looking at it reminds me that not everything in the world sucks." We make it to the top of the stairs and I hand Bella one of the water glasses. She accepts it graciously and turns to talk to Freddie. I sit back down and take the food plate from James. He sits in the circle next to me and stares off absentmindedly. Rylan walks up and stands in front of me.

"Hello Rylan. Can I help you?" I try to keep my tone sharp but polite.

He flashes me a charismatic smile and says. "It's not how you can help me, but how I can help you."

"And how exactly can you help me?" I bring up the glass of water and take a sip.

He crouches down in front of me so that our faces are even and smiles again. "Well when was the last time you had a good shag?"

I spit out my water all over his face and grab James' arm. "What the hell kind of question is that? I just met you and you creep me the hell out!"

He wipes his face off and sighs. "We'll see how you feel after we're all naked."

I nod. "Probably nausea…"

He shrugs and says "We'll see…" before returning to his seat.

I turn to James who has a large smirk on his face. "Well aren't you quite the hit?"

I shake my head and slap him on the arm playfully. "You were no help whatsoever!"

Al, Monroe and Ashlynn walk back over and take a seat. Monroe picks up the deck of cards right away and starts dealing them out. I look at my cards and sigh. _I really am terrible at poker…_

Ashlynn wins that round, which means I lose, making this my third loss in a row. I sigh and look at Bella. "Hey Bells. Can you help me with my dress?" She nods and I turn around. As she unbuttons the back of my dress I look at James, who is looking from Rylan to me with a smirk. I roll my eyes and flip him off, which just evokes laughter from him.

"Alright Ari! All set!"

I slip out of my dress and internally thank Merlin that I decided to wear my cute black lace bra and shorts over my underwear. I toss my dress over on top of my shoes and take a seat. I chance a look over to Rylan and immediately regret it. That boy is on his fourth firewhiskey and it's showing. He is continually licking his lips while looking me up and down. I grab my wand and point it at him. "If you lick your lips while looking at me ONE MORE TIME, I swear to Merlin I will hit you with a langlock spell so bad you will never be able to use your tongue again."

He nods his head and looks away from me. I can hear James chuckling next to me. "Okay. Let's get back to the game before someone gets cursed…" I set my wand down and James deals out the cards. I look at the hand he dealt me and groan internally. After making our trades, we all place our cards down and once again, I lose.

Al laughs as I take off my shorts. "Ari, you really are remarkably terrible at poker…"

I shoot him a glare and then laugh. "I know… I don't know why I agreed to play. I knew I was going to be one of the first ones out."

Freddie looks at his watch. "Looks like that was the last game, I'm beat. I'm off to bed. There are pillows and such over here on the couch. Make yourselves comfortable." He gets up off the floor and slowly makes his way to the couch to grab some pillows and blankets. James does the same. He comes back and tosses me a pillow and blanket and then sets up his own.

I wait for him to lie down then place my pillow against his shoulder. "I hope you're comfy Jamie, because I'm not moving." I rest my head on the pillow and pull the blanket up over my exposed torso.

He chuckles. "Are you trying to take advantage of me?"

Freddie walks over and turns the lights off then makes his way back to his blanket, pillow and girlfriend.

I quickly lean over and give James a quick peck on the cheek. I lie back down and say "Goodnight Jamie, happy Christmas."

He reaches over and wraps his arm around me while grabs my hand and interlacing his fingers with mine. "Goodnight Ariana, happy Christmas."

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I wanted to give them a day to be typical teenagers, and I figured the christmas party would be the perfect place.**

**Let me know what you thought about the chapter!**

**Thanks yall! I appreciate your support! :)**

**-Tx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 13**

**James' POV**

I slowly blink my eyes open and groan. My head is killing me and the sun seems extra bright today. I narrow my eyes and look around. My arm is wrapped around something or someone. I try to sit up but there is something weighing down on my shoulder so I attempt to bring my hand up but it's tightly stuck in something. I slowly look at what is laying on my shoulder and sigh. _Why the hell is Ariana snuggling with me in her bra? Why are we holding hands? Not that I'm complaining, but what the bloody hell happened last night?_

I pinch the bridge of my nose with my free hand and close my eyes tightly. I try to play through the event from last night but they are just so hazy. I know for a fact that there was drinking, but that's about it. I feel my other arm moving so I open my eyes and look toward the movement. Ariana is awake now, and she is looking at out intertwined hands. She lets out a low chuckle and places her free hand on her face. She slowly unwraps her hand from mine and gets up. _She must still think I'm asleep…_

I look at her as she gets up and internally kick myself. _She's in her bloody bra and underwear! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED LAST NIGHT? _She tip toes over to the bathroom and shuts the door. I take this time to survey my surroundings. I see Freddie and Bella spooning over in the corner, Monroe is splayed out on the floor near them, Ashlynn is close to Monroe but curled up in a ball, Al is sleeping next to the stairs, and some blonde guy is spread out across the floor sucking his thumb. They are all at least half naked as they lay sleeping on the floor. I lift my blanket and see that I still have my pants on. I breathe a sigh of relief and drop the blanket. I don't have my shirt on, but that's pretty normal since I don't ever sleep with a shirt. The pants, however, mean that Ariana and I didn't do anything too bad last night.

I hear the bathroom door open again and I look back. Ariana is walking out of the bathroom with a glass of water. She walks over and hands me the cup and drops two white pills in my hand. "Drink up sleeping beauty, and take these. I bet your head is killing you."

I graciously accept the cup and take a sip. I pop the pills in my mouth and lie back down. "What did I just take?"

She crawls back under her blanket and smirks. "Motrin. They are muggle pills that help with a hangover headache, among other things."

I glance over at her. "Did you already take some? Because you don't look like you're struggling to be alive at all…"

She shakes her head with a laugh. "**I** didn't drink last night. At least ONE of us had to be coherent! You know, you're a bit of a light weight… You were smashed after almost two firewhiskeys…"

I roll my eyes. "Why is everyone half naked? And why are you walking around in your bra and underwear?"

She laughs again. "I'm in my bra and underwear because I'm TERRIBLE at poker. We played strip poker last night."

Freddie pokes his head up and glares at us. "If you two don't shut the bloody hell up I am going to murder you!"

I flip him off and roll my eyes. I grab Ariana's hand and stand up. "C'mon, let's go get some breakfast."

She stands firm and looks at me mockingly. "Jamie, I'm basically naked. Let me at least find something to wear."

I drop her hand and reach down and toss her a pair of small shorts along with the red shirt that I wore under my dress robes. "Will those do?"

She laughs as she puts on the shorts. "You found my shorts! Yes, these will do. Thank you." She pulls my shirt on and buttons it up.

I nod toward the stairs. "Can we go eat now?" She laughs and grabs two blankets, and then she nods. We quietly make our way downstairs and into the kitchen.

Once we get in the kitchen, she puts food into a large bowl and gets two mugs. I run my fingers through my hair and sigh. "Ari, what are you doing?"

She turns around while she fills the mugs with hot chocolate and smiles. "We are going to eat outside."

"Well then I'm going to go steal Freddie's shirt. I will be right back."

She nods. "I will meet you in the garden."

**Ari's POV**

As soon as I exit the Burrow the cold winter air nips at my bare legs. I run over to the garden and pull out my wand. I point it at a spot on the ground and use the hot air spell to melt the snow. Once I've melted a spot big enough, I lay a blanket down so that I am facing the pond and place the food on top of it. The pond doesn't look frozen at all and I hear the sound of frogs coming from the pond. I see something move out of the corner of my eye. I look toward the movement but only see a potato. I walk over to the potato and tap it with my foot. It jumps up and makes an odd noise. I jump back in surprise. It runs away from me and hides, so I walk back over to the blanket and sit down. I pull out a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and wrap the extra blanket around myself. I begin to eat some of the beans when one of the little potato looking things comes walking up to me slowly. I smile at it. "Do you want one?"

It continues to make its way toward me so I toss a bean to it. It catches the bean and wolfs it down quickly. I smile again and toss it another. This bean flies over its head and it runs after it.

"You know, Grandma Weasley probably wouldn't like that you're feeding the gnomes…"

I turn around. "Hey Jamie. How's your head feeling?"

He sits down on the blanket and shrugs. "It's better. What sort of food selection do we have?"

I hand him the bowl of food and toss another bean out into the garden. He sighs and says "I'll take a bean please."

I laugh. "Okay, scoot back and open your mouth." He gives me a suspicious look. I roll my eyes in response and say "Just do it!"

He scoots back and opens his mouth. I grab a handful of beans and toss them at him. They lightly pepper his face, a few even land in his mouth. He closes his mouth and looks at me incredulously and shakes his head. "Ariana, you just don't learn do you?"

I shrug my shoulders and smirk. "Well according to Ashlynn I AM a little dense…"

He scoops me up and runs to the pond with me flailing about and screaming as he does. "JAMIE! Put me down!" As we get closer to the pond I realize what he's about to do. My eyes widen. "James… Don't do it James!"

He looks at me with a smirk. "Do what?" He gets to the end of the pond and tosses me into the water then jumps in behind me. I brace myself for the cold to hit me, but it doesn't come. Instead I am enveloped in warmth as the murky water flows around me. I kick my legs and propel myself to the top of the water. My head breaks the surface of the water and I look around for James. I see him come above the water a few feet away from me with a big smile on his face.

I scowl at him. "Don't look so proud of yourself…"

He stretches out his arms with a grin. "Let's just hug it out!"

I grin and swim toward him. "Oh alright…" I get in front of him and put my hands on his shoulders. His grin changes into a frown as I shove him underwater. I yell as he grabs my ankle and pulls me under too.

James and I come up at the same time. I feel something resting on my head and begin to panic. I have a bit of a strange and irrational fear of…

I hear the mass on my head croak and my suspicions are confirmed. I let out a panic-filled scream and violently fling the frog off my head. I look around warily for any other frogs and hear James chuckle. "What, Jamie?"

"Really? Frogs?" He says with a raised eyebrow.

I nod vigorously. "YES FROGS!"

He laughs. "So let me get this straight. You can face Inferi and the Castor, but you're terrified of frogs?"

"I didn't say it made sense!" I say with a laugh.

He brings his hand out of the water and tosses a frog at me. I scream again and swat my hands at it. I splash some water at him and end up starting a very loud splashing fight between us.

Suddenly the front door opens. We both look up at the door with a slightly guilty look on our faces. Our guilt stricken faces fade however, once we see who it is coming through the door.

Freddie, Bella, and Al come running from the house and jump into the pond. Freddie swims over with a grin. "Great idea you two! Nothing like an early swim in an enchanted pond on Christmas morning!" He looks at James and wiggles his eyebrows.

I laugh. "I'm getting out. I think I'm starting to wrinkle."

As soon as I get out of the pond the cold winter air assaults my skin. An involuntary shiver runs down my spine and I sprint to the blankets I have laying out. I plop myself down on top of it and wrap myself in the spare blanket I brought out here.

James comes out of the water and says "Oh! Ariana! I almost forgot! I got you a Christmas present! Close your eyes and I'll go get it."

I let out a laugh and close my eyes. I hear him walk away. I am stuck waiting for a few moments and then he walks back. "Okay, now put out your hands."

I put out my hands and wait. He places something warm, wet and slimy in my hands. It croaks and I open my eyes with a scream. "JAMIE! Why the HELL did you just put a frog in my hands?" I throw it at the lake and fling my hands around wildly with a disgusted look on my face.

He laughs loudly. "I finally found something you're afraid of, I might as well get to use it against you! Now come get back in the water! I promise it's warmer than out here…"

I roll my eyes and shake my head. "I'm staying right here under the warm blanket."

He faces the pond. "OI! FREDDIE! I NEED YOUR HELP OVER HERE!"

Freddie swims over to the edge of the pond and smirks. "What seems to be the problem, mate?"

James points to me and sighs. "Ariana here thinks she is going to stay under the blanket."

Freddie nods and grins at me. "Well that just won't do, now will it?" He pushes himself out of the pond and walks over. He grabs my ankles and James grabs my wrists. They lift me off the ground and slowly start walking toward the pond.

I try to break free but they are holding on to me tightly. I let out a giggle. "Jamie! Freddie! Let me go!"

Just as they get to the edge of the pond the front door swings open again, revealing a very agitated looking Monroe, Ashlynn and Rylan. Monroe walks toward us and calls out "Why didn't anyone invite US to the party?"

Rylan sees my predicament and yells "Ariana, let me help you!"

My eyes widen and I shake my head. James smirks and says "Actually, she is currently occupied by me, so you're going to have to find another way to amuse yourself!" He looks to Freddie and nods with a grin. They swing my body back and then bring it forward releasing my arms and legs as they do. I scream and flail my arms and legs around as my body goes flying through the air. My butt hits the water with a loud splash. I resurface next to James in a fit of giggles.

Suddenly we hear "YOU LOT GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE NOW!"

I look over to James with a chuckle. "We are SO dead!"

He laces his fingers through mine and smiles. "We'll be fine. Uncle Ron's bark is scarier than his bite."

We all get out of the pond and walk to the door slowly. James and I lead the way followed closely by Freddie and Bella. Al walks behind them and Monroe, Ashlynn and Rylan trail after him quickly. I open the door and the warm air from inside hits us gently. Our clothes drip on the floor as we wait for the adults to react. All of the Weasley's and Potter's are standing in front of us with stern looks and their arms crossed. Harry speaks first, his tone even and firm. "Decided to go for an early morning swim, did we?"

We all burst into a fit of laughter at the question. The adults crack small smiles and Ginny looks at Harry. "Oh Harry! Stop it! You're obviously not scaring them!" She turns to all of us with a big grin. "Go get dried off and then get back down here. We are going to open presents!"

Bella grabs my arm and drags me past the adults. "C'mon you. Let's go get cleaned up." We march up the stairs to the fifth floor bathroom and she tosses me in. We blow dry our hair with her wand while I dry off our clothes with my wand.

We finish after about fifteen minutes and she drags me back downstairs. I stop right before we get to the bottom and gasp. "Everyone's presents are back at the Potter's!"

Bella laughs cheerfully. "That's okay. You can give me my present once we get back to Hogwarts!"

I roll my eyes with a laugh and walk down the last stair. "Wow Bells… just… wow."

She nods. "Maybe Santa brought you a normal shirt…"

I grab her arm and feign hurt. "Bells! You don't like my shirt?"

She shakes her head with a grimace. "It's too big for you! You can't even tell you're wearing shorts!"

"I don't know. I like it. I'm not sure Jamie is going to get this one back…"

This time she rolls her eyes and grins. "LET'S GO! I want to open my presents!"

I let out a laugh and we walk into the living room. Bella and I take a seat and everyone begins opening presents.

We spend the rest of the day playing with and showing off our gifts. When we leave, it's almost midnight and I am EXHAUSTED. We apparate back to the house and say our good nights then head to our rooms to sleep.

When I get to my room, I fling myself onto my bed and fall asleep right away.

* * *

_The moon is high in the sky as I sit in my room. I am reading the most recent list of dead and missing wizards in the Daily Prophet when I hear a noise from downstairs. I ignore the noise, assuming its James or Al, but the noise sounds again. This time I hear a crashing noise followed by a shout. The noise sounded far below me, so it was either the second or first floor._

_I set down the newspaper and grab my wand. I fling open my door and take the stairs two at a time. I stop on the second floor but I don't hear anything so I continue to the first floor._

_I quietly make my way to the floor and wait in silence. I hear another crash come from James room. I run to the door and open it just in time to see a couple of Death Eaters taking Al. James tries to stop them but they hit him with a curse and he falls. I shoot a spell at them but they apparate before my spell can hit them. I run over to James' body and place my first two fingers on his neck to feel for a pulse. I wait for a moment but I don't feel anything. I place my ear by his mouth but I don't hear any breathing. My stomach drops and breathing becomes very difficult as I realize that he's dead. Suddenly there is a loud 'POP' and I am shot back into a wall. A Death Eater walks up to me and wraps his fingers around my throat. I claw at his hands and gasp for breath but to no avail. He tightens his grip. "We will take them all from you… You won't have anyone left by the time we're done with you…" He lets go and I hit the floor with a loud thump, coughing and gasping for breath._

* * *

I open my eyes and clutch my throat gingerly. I jump out of my bed, grab my wand and run down to the first floor. I open James' door and turn on his light. He sits up and holds up his hand over his eyes to block the light. "Wha' the hell is going on Ariana?"

A laugh escapes my lips and I launch myself at him. I wrap my arms around his neck and breathe a sigh of relief. I pull my face back and look at him. I lean forward and press my lips to his, kissing him with fervor.

I'm not sure why I did that. Maybe it was because losing him in my dream was real enough to make me realize that we should be together or maybe it was because I had just watched him die in my dream. I'm guessing it was more the first one though. I release him from my kiss only to pull him back into a hug.

He lets out a chuckle. "What was that for? I AM awake right?"

I sit back and look at his bedroom door. "AL!"

He shakes his head. "Ew. You did that for my brother?"

I let go of him and shake my head. "I'm sleeping here tonight. But first I need to check on Al."

He leans back against his headboard. "Not unless you tell me what's going on."

I hold my hand up. "I NEED to check on Al first!" I run out of James' room and grab the door next to Al's. I open it up and tip toe over to his bed. I see Al sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling with each breath. I smile and relax a bit. I walk out of his room and go back into James' room. He is mid-stretch when I walk in.

He finishes his stretch and pats a spot on the bed next to him. "Okay now that you've creepily stalked into my brother's room to check on him, can you please tell me what's going on?"

I look around his room warily and then jump onto his bed. I crawl up to the spot he patted and take a seat. I lean my head on his shoulder and sigh. "I had a, uh… a really BAD dream…"

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into a hug. "What was the dream about? It obviously involved Al."

I nod. "It involved you too…" I launch into telling him everything about my dream. He nods his understanding as I talk and stays quiet until I finish.

Once I finish, he looks at me teasingly. "So you killed me off in your dream? Is this because I threw you into the pond?"

I smile feebly. "Jamie..."

He shakes his head with a laugh. "Sorry… So wait. Did you kiss me because I died in your dream?"

I shrug. "Sort of."

He looks at me with fake disgust. "Ew did you kiss Al too?"

I roll my eyes. "JAMIE! I'm not going to tell you it didn't play a part in it, because it definitely did, but not the part you think."

"Well I think that seeing me die in your dreams made you realize you can't live without having me as a friend." He says with a smirk.

I look at him with wide eyes. "Who the fu-"

He shoots me a stern look.

I catch his glance and correct myself. "Who the HELL kisses their friends like that you prat?"

He smirks again. "Does this mean you want to get back together?"

I hold up my finger. "First, I want you to be aware of the fact that it is CLEARLY dangerous to date me."

He laughs lightly. "Ariana, I've known and accepted that since day one."

I nod. "Well then yes. This does mean I want to get back together."

He smiles largely. "Perfect. Now let's get to bed. The train ride back to Hogwarts is going to be a long one."

We scoot down on the bed and lay my head on his shoulder. "Goodnight Jamie."

He wraps his arms around me and kisses me on the forehead. "Goodnight Ariana. I will see you in the morning."

I inhale deeply and close my eyes, silently praying that my sleep will be dreamless.

**Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. I'm not too sure how I feel about this chapter, but I didn't want to keep you lovely readers waiting. :) Let me know what you thought about the chapter.**

**The next chapter is going to pick up more, so just hang tight.**

**Love yall! :)**

**-Tx**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 14**

The morning after my nightmare was rough. Ginny went to wake James up and found me in his bed with him. She yelled a lot until we explained why I was there with him. She tried to be understanding but I could tell she was still upset by it. Despite the way the morning started, the train ride was fairly quiet. Everyone seemed overjoyed at James and me getting back together. We sat in a compartment with Freddie, Bella, and Al. I tried to spend the train ride sleeping, but it evaded me. I was sure that if I closed my eyes, something was going to happen that took all of these people from me. So I sat, alert and awake while the train slowly chugged down the tracks. When we got to Hogwarts we ate our dinner quickly and rushed up to bed. Again, sleep eluded me for the same reasons as before. I was afraid that, although I have some of my friends here, there is a group that I cannot protect. It's not that I wasn't tired; it's just that I don't want to lose anyone else. I sit on the edge of my bed with my wand ready for use for the entire night.

The morning came on slowly. I can practically feel the bags under my eyes as Rachelle, Astoria, Bella and I walk to the great hall. I slump into a seat between James and Bella and begin to slowly put food on my plate.

James looks at me warily. "You vaguely resemble an Inferius. Did you sleep AT ALL last night?" I shake my head and place a forkful of eggs into my mouth. He frowns. "Why not? More nightmares?"

I let out a yawn and shake my head. "Same one as before. I'll be fine though."

He looks at me skeptically. "Is there anything I can do?"

I am about to answer when the mail owls swoop in. They drop the letters and packages they are carrying to the intended recipient then fly out. Today they are dropping a lot of black envelopes. One of the black envelopes lightly lands in front of Bella.

I looks at her sleepily. "What is it Bells?"

She shrugs her shoulders. She picks up the envelope and gingerly slides her finger under the seal. She pulls the letter out and scans it in silence. Her hand comes up to her mouth and her eyes widen. She drops the letter and a small, pitiful noise escapes her lips.

I wake up more when I see her starting to shake. "Bells, what was it?"

She just shakes her head so I reach over and grab the letter. I hold it between James and myself so that he can read the letter too. It is concise and to the point.

_Ms. Bella Cattertome,_

_We regret to inform you that your parents, Daliah and Michael Cattertome and your sister Katrina Cattertome, were killed by Death Eaters last night. We have sent our top aurors to investigate the murders. We have contacted Headmaster McGonagall and arranged for you to go back to your house tomorrow for the funeral and reading of the will._

_Our deepest condolences are extended to you in this terrible time._

_Signed,_

_Kingsley Shacklebolt_

I hand the letter to Freddie and turn to Bella. "Bells I'm so sorry." I rub my hand on her back and look around. Wailing and sobbing fills the great hall as other people read their letters.

Bella looks at me with tear filled eyes and gets up. She takes the letter from Freddie and walks out of the great hall calmly. I look over to James and sigh. "Her parents were muggles… Jamie the Death Eaters are killing muggles now… I'm going to go check on her. Are we still set to go explore the prefect's bathroom tonight?" He nods then motions for me to go after Bella.

I get up from the table, followed by Freddie, and walk to the door. Before we exit, I take a quick glance over to the Slytherine table. They are laughing and talking as if nothing had happened, while the other tables are consoling their house mates. I frown and drag Freddie out of the great hall and off to the side. "Did you notice that nobody at the Slytherine table got one of those blasted letters?"

He nods sourly. "Oh I noticed. But don't you worry about that. James and I have been planning a prank that will make it into the history books. I think it might be time to execute Plan Fireface."

I look at him curiously but decide I would rather be surprised by it. As a prefect, having this information would mean I would be expected to turn it in. Since I don't plan on doing that, I am just going to pretend I didn't hear him. _I really am a terrible prefect…_

We begin down the hall again, going straight for Gryffindor tower. We say the password and go into the common room. Sitting in the middle of the common room, crying on the floor is Bella. Freddie rushes over and wraps his arms around her. I sit down across from her and sigh. She is clutching the letter tightly and sobbing quietly.

Freddie and I spent the rest of the day comforting Bella and helping her pack for the trip home for the funeral. That night, after patrol, we all gave her our condolences and hugs. She goes to bed and I meet back up with James in the common room. We make our way into the prefect bathroom, me with a towel and soap and James under the invisibility cloak, and shut the door behind us. As soon as the door shuts, James throws off the cloak and we start looking for any signs that will reveal what the rune translation was talking about.

The prefect bathroom is really quite nice. It has two large, wall sized windows and a stained glass window of a mermaid in the middle of the two plain windows. Lining one wall are stalls with toilets. Across from the stalls is a very large bathtub with taps all around it. The taps all release different colors of water, bubbles and foam. I am knocking on different parts of the wall near the stalls while James is doing the same by the bathtub. I hear the taps running and I turn around. "Jamie what the hell are you doing?"

He shrugs. "Maybe we need to fill up the bath to find the passage." The tub fills rather quickly and James sighs. "I guess not… Maybe it's underwater?"

I walk over to the edge of the tub and look down. "I don't know Jamie… All I see is-" I am interrupted by soapy water filling my mouth. I emerge from the water and spit out the suds. "WHAT THE HELL?"

He is standing at the edge of the tub laughing. "That was too easy!"

I shake my head. "Help me out of here Jamie." I wade over to the edge and outstretch my hand. He takes it with a sigh and mumbles something about me being too serious. I yank his hand down hard and pull him into the tub with me.

He resurfaces, splashing water around wildly. "Bloody hell Ari!"

I let out a laugh. "What was that? Who's too serious?" He wipes the soap off his face and shakes his head.

I smirk at him. "That's what I thought."

He raises an eyebrow and chuckles. "Someone's feeling feisty tonight, huh?"

I roll my eyes and splash some water at him. "Shut up…"

He laughs loudly. "Alright cranky one, we should keep looking." He hops out of the tub and extends his and to help me out. I accept his hand and distractedly look at the stalls across from us. I notice a few large rocks on the ground in one of the stalls.

"Ariana. I can't pull you up without your help…"

I look up at him with a look of surprise. "Jamie I think I found it…" He helps me out of the tub and I walk over to the stall where I saw the rubble. I try to push on the door but it doesn't budge. I pull out my wand and point it at the door. "Alohamora."

The door latch clicks. I look at James with a grin. He pushes on the door and it swings open, revealing a large, gaping hole in the wall behind the toilet.

James holds up his wand and says "Lumos maxima." A large ball of white light shoots ahead of us. I grab James' hand and grip my wand tightly. We slowly walk down the brightly lit corridor for a bit. I am about to recommend that we turn back around when James squeezes my hand and points his wand ahead. "Do you see that?"

I narrow my eyes and shake my head. "I don't see anything."

He tugs at my hand and we walk toward the thing he sees. As we get closer I see the faint glow of an opening. I want to get a better look at it so I run toward it, pulling James along behind me. We burst through the opening and a gasp escapes my lips. James stands next to me with his mouth open wide. In front of us is an extremely large expanse of land full of tall, grey statues and oblong shapes. Directly in front of the statues and oblong shapes are rectangular holes with piles of dirt next to them. There are lamp posts scattered throughout the land that give off a faint glow. Off in the distance, I think I see the faded shape of a figure but I don't really think anything of it. I'm too overwhelmed by everything else around me.

I turn and look at James, shock and confusion filling me. "What is this place?"

He shakes his head, disbelief apparent on his face. "It's the wizard graveyard…"

**Okay yall. I almost forgot about the fact that I planned on having letters come to Hogwarts, so I decided to put them in this chapter.**

**Who do you think the figure that Ariana saw is? Why do you think there is a passage to the wizard graveyard hidden in Hogwarts? Let me know your thoughts!**

**Thanks yall!**

**-Tx**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 15**

**James' POV**

I look around at all the dug up cemetery plots with shock. The wizard graveyard was a very large place and the amount of plots that had been dug up was mind blowing. I tug at Ariana's hand and we walk forward. I stop at the first plot and see an empty casket. I shake my head and we walk to the next plot, only to find the same thing as the plot before. We check almost fifty plots and find the same thing. Ariana breaks the silence and, to no one in particular, says "I think I know where all the Inferi came from…" She looks at me thoughtfully. "Jamie, where is this place? It looks so familiar…"

"This is the Little Hangleton graveyard, but most wizards just call it the wizard graveyard now. It is where Voldemort and his family were buried. It was the site of where the first battle of the Second Wizarding War took place. It was fixed up and expanded after the war since a lot of the graves were broken and overgrown. After a while, muggles stopped burying their dead here because they thought it was cursed. Wizards and witches continued though. You see that statue way over there? That is Voldemort's family's grave. It's a statue of the Angel of Death. Anyways, muggles thought it was cursed because of that statue; they're sure that they've seen it move. So now it's basically just a cemetery for witches and wizards." I look around as fog begins to roll in.

Ariana releases my hand and walks over to an empty plot slowly. "I know why this place looks familiar…" She sits with her knees under her chin and her arms wrapped around her legs in front of the gaping, rectangular hole and looks down in silence. I look at the headstone to try and figure out this grave's significance. The headstone reads:

_Cambria Maylin Brighton_

_1973-2002_

_Dearly beloved mother and wife  
you will be greatly missed, but not  
forgotten_

I look into the hole and sigh. The casket is void of a body and there are red roses strewn around the casket. I walk over to Ariana and put my arm around her. She has silent tears streaming down her face and she seems to be in another world.

**Ari's POV**

I release James' hand and slowly walk over to an open grave. "I know why this place looks familiar…" I sit down and look into the hole. As soon as I do I am suddenly hit with a memory that is so clear I almost believe that its reality.

_I stand back in the grass, looking at her brown casket with tears streaming down my face. I just keep telling myself that I hadn't meant to do it; that I hadn't even known what I was doing! This wasn't my fault! But it was my fault... My mother is dead because of me… I'm a murderer…_

_The sky is overcast and gray, big rain drops slowly being released as if it was mourning her death just as we are. I slowly walk over to her open casket and stare at her face, trying to memorize every feature of it. Her long blonde hair, the curve of her lips, the slenderness of her nose, her beautifully arched eyebrows, her long eyelashes, the light brown freckles that dotted over her nose and cheeks, the small dimples that indented her cheeks, the way her lips were still managing a smile even in death. I am going to miss it all… I overhear my father talking to someone behind me._

"_She can't stay there… The funeral can't begin until she is in her seat…"_

_My father laughs. "She is six years old and just lost her mother! She can sit wherever the hell she pleases! In fact…" He pulls over two chairs and sits in one of them. "…I am going to sit here too." I smile weakly at him. He had just stood up for me despite what I had done… How could he still love me when he is armed with the knowledge that I had taken the love of his life from him?_

_He takes my hand and squeezes it. "How are you doing? Are you going to talk today?"_

_I shake my head and turn back to my mother's face. I had stopped talking to people the moment I realized what I had done to her. That was almost two weeks ago… My father is trying to be understanding, but I can tell it's frustrating him that I refuse to speak; I will speak again when I'm ready though._

_The man who had been talking to my father before steps up to the podium and gives my father and me a sympathetic look then he turns around and begins speaking. I don't listen to his speech but instead try to figure out what my father and I are going to do with our lives now… I may only be six, but he's all I've got now._

_The man finishes his speech and a bunch of people whose faces all blur together drop an enchanted red rose into her casket and give me and my father their condolences. I put on a fake smile and nod my acceptance of their sympathies. After the last person has dropped their rose in, the man who spoke on my mother's behalf pulls out his wand and slowly begins to lower her casket into the grave._

_I decide now is a good time to break my silence. "NO! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" I launch myself onto the casket, causing quite a stir among the mourners. "Mom… I'm so sorry! Please… Don't leave…"_

_My father walks up behind me and grabs my hand. He pulls me off the casket and into a chair. "Ari, honey. We have to let her go now…"_

_I hide my face against his shirt and begin to cry again. "What if you die too? What then?"_

_He pulls me back and smiles gently. "I'm not going anywhere honey. I won't ever leave you."_

_I sniffle. "Do you promise?"_

_He nods firmly. "I promise."_

"Ariana… Ari, love, we need to go now. I don't think we are alone anymore…"

I blink my eyes and look around. I shake my head. "I can't leave her again…" I wave my wand and silently Accio a rose from the bottom of the empty hole. I lands in my hands gently.

James sighs. He puts one arm under my knees and the other on my back. He lifts me up and I vacantly wrap my arms around his neck. I lean my head against his arm and let the tears run freely. He looks off into the distance and then quickly turns and runs back into the opening.

I sluggishly flip my wand and say "Lumos maxima." A bright white ball erupts from my wand and lights the path for James.

James lets out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, love." I lightly nod and drop my hand back down. He gets to the end of the tunnel and runs into the bathroom stall. I wiggle in his arms and he sets me down. "Are you good to walk now?"

I nod and start out of the bathroom. James catches up and wraps his arm around my shoulders. "What happened back there?"

I fight back tears. "I remember her…"

He shrugs. "Okay?"

I sigh shakily. "Jamie, I remember what I did to her... And now the sweet irony of the current situation is almost too much to bear."

"What's ironic?"

I let out a manic chuckle. "It's ironic that she is now trying to kill me when, nearly ten years ago, I killed her."

**James' POV**

I had been next to Ariana for what felt like forever when I heard something rustling around behind us. I turn around but don't see anything. I hear the noise again off to the left. I whip my head around in the direction of the noise but again, I don't see anything. I am about to turn back around when I see something dart through the bushes in front of me. I shake her a little bit. "Ari… Ari, love, we need to go… I don't think we are alone anymore…"

She blinks her eyes rapidly and shakes her head. "I can't leave her again…"

I sigh and pick her up. She wraps her arms around my neck and leans her head against my arm. I run through the opening. As soon as I run into the tunnel I am greeted by complete darkness and silence. Ariana waves her wand languidly and a white ball shoots out of the tip, lighting the way for me. I sigh, relieved I wouldn't have to find my way back in the dark. "Thanks love."

As soon as I get out of the tunnel and into the stall Ari starts wiggling in my arms. I set her down and say "Are you good to walk now?"

She nods and walks out of the bathroom ahead of me. I run to catch up with her and wrap my arm around her shoulder. "What happened back there?"

She looks away quickly, which I've learned means she is trying to hide the fact that she's crying. "I remember her…"

I shrug me shoulders. "Okay?"

She sighs shakily. "Jamie, I remember what I did to her… And the sweet irony of the current situation is almost too much to bear."

I look at her with confusion. "What's ironic?"

She lets out a hysteric chuckle. "It's ironic that she is now trying to kill me when, nearly ten years ago, I killed her."

**Ari's POV**

He looks at me with wide eyes. We continue into the common room in silence. I can tell he has questions but is afraid to ask. I am glad for that, it gave me time to calm down and escape hysteria. I sit on the couch in the common room and motion for him to sit in the chair across from me.

He looks at me curiously. "Am I not allowed to sit by you?"

I shrug. "You can if you want, but I don't think you'll want to after I answer your questions."

He rolls his eyes and sits on the couch next to me. "A bit melodramatic, don't you think?"

"Ask your questions." I say, ignoring his previous statement.

He turns himself on the couch so that he is facing me. "Why didn't you remember killing your mom?"

I let out a small laugh. "Not the question I expected you to lead with… Hmm… I guess I don't remember it because I spent tons of time blocking it out. My father fed me a story and I told it enough times that I began to believe it. It warped my version of the truth and made it easier to forget."

He nods. "What was the story you were telling people?"

I shrug again. "That a Death Eater broke into our house and killed her. Nothing too complicated."

He nods once again. "Okay, that about wraps it up then." He gets up from the couch with a grin.

I laugh and grab his arm. "Are you really not going to ask how I killed her?"

He shrugs his shoulders with a teasing smile. "Well I guess… Since you insist on it…" He walks back to the couch and returns to where he was sitting before.

I close my eyes and recount the events of that fateful day.

"_Ariana, honey! Keep your fingers out of the icing! You aren't allowed any cake until your party tonight!" she says with a tinkling laugh. "I can't believe you're already six!" She sets her wand down on the counter and sighs. "Oh darn. I seem to have misplaced the decorations…" She exits the room hurriedly._

_I look on the counter. "Mom! You left your wand on the counter!" I listen for a response but am greeted by silence. I sigh. "She must not be able to hear me…" I reach up and grab her wand. I look at it yearningly and then look around. It doesn't look like anyone is there so I give the wand a wave. A green spark flies out of the tip. As it does, my mother comes around the corner. The spark hits her directly in the chest and she crumples to the ground heavily._

"_Mom?" No response… "Mom?" Still no response. I walk over and crouch by her. "Mom please answer me…" I look up the stairs and yell "DAD! Something's wrong with mom!"_

_He comes running down the stairs quickly. He crouches by her and places his first two fingers on her neck. Then he places his ear above her mouth and waits. He slowly rises back up and looks at me, tears falling down his face._

"_Dad, is everything okay?" I can hear the fear and worry in my voice. He continues to look at me with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Dad I'm going to owl for help."_

"_NO ARIANA! WE DON'T NEED HELP, SHE'S FINE!" he shouts angrily. He points his finger at me and sourly says "This is YOUR FAULT! YOU KILLED HER! YOU STUPID CHILD! YOU'VE TAKEN AWAY THE ONE THING I LOVED!"_

_I can feel tears streaming down my face. I slowly back away from him and into the kitchen and quickly write down HELP the best I can. I look over at my parents and a sob escapes my lips. My mother is hanging limply from my father's arms, her pale face even whiter than usual. My father is hugging her tightly to his chest and sobbing uncontrollably._

_I tie the note to the owl's leg and tell the owl to hurry and send it out the window. I sit on the kitchen floor and stare at the cake she had made me. I reach up to stick my finger in the icing then drop my hand. My mom had told me no and I was going to respect that. I go to walk out of the kitchen and slip on something. I rub my knees and look back to see what I slipped on. I grimace when I realize what it is. I get up off the floor and kick the small wooden stick. It rolls under the oven and I nod. "Good riddance…"_

_I hear a knocking at the front door and I walk to answer it. A man in a black cloak with a dark hood is standing in the doorway. "Are you Ariana?"_

_Rather than answer him, I turn back and yell "Dad? There's someone at the door!"_

_I turn back around to face the figure but he's gone. Instead I see the paramedics from St. Mungo's running at our door. I back out of their way just in time. They burst through the doorway and throw my dad off of my mother's body. I can hear my dad shouting profanities at the paramedics while they check my mom's vitals. I sit on the stairs and place my fingers in my ears, trying to tune out my father's cries and to try and forget everything I had just done._

_The paramedics place her body on a stretcher and cover her with a sheet. They carry the stretcher out of our house and one of the paramedics comes back in. He walks over to my dad and places a hand on his shoulder. I can't hear what the paramedic says to him, but my father responds angrily. "NO! TRY AGAIN! SHE'S NOT DEAD!"_

_I close my eyes as tears fall freely from my eyes. I cover my ears again and try to block out the noise. I see something pass in front of me so I open my eyes back up. My father is standing in front of me, glaring furiously at me. He lifts his finger at me. "You. You did this. You took my happiness away from me…" As soon as I realize he is right, I make a silent vow not to speak again._

I open my eyes and sniffle. I hadn't realized I had started crying during the story. _Bloody hell! I've cried more tonight than I have since she died!_

James nods at me. "Well I can definitely see the irony of your situation…"

I chuckle and shake my head. "That's really your only response?"

"Well I'm not going to condemn you for something you did on accident ten years ago, if that's what you're expecting." He says with a shrug.

I look away with a laugh. "Well you're the first…" We hear someone outside the portrait so we press ourselves to the couch. I peek up slowly and see Astoria sneaking back into the common room. I see dirt on her shoes and some leaves in her clothes. _I wonder where she was…_

She looks toward the couch and I duck my head back down quickly. I wait until I hear her go upstairs before I say anything. "Jamie… I think tomorrow night we are going to follow Astoria…"

**Hmm... I wonder where Astoria has been off to? haha just kidding. *I* know where she was, but where do you guys think she was?**

**As always, I would love to know what you thought about this chapter!**

**I appreciate yalls support with this!**

**Thank you!**

**-Tx**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 16**

**Ari's POV**

I wake up and see Astoria cleaning her shoes. I stretch and yawn. "Morning Tori. You got in late last night, huh?"

She whips her head in my direction, clearly startled. "Oh Ari! I thought you were asleep! I, uh, yea. I was doing some late night studying in the common room, that's all."

I nod. "Oh… I didn't see you in there when I came in from patrol though…"

She drops one of her shoes and her eyes widen. "Um… really? I was sitting in the big chair the entire time, so I don't know why you didn't see me!"

I get out of bed and nod. "Oh. I guess I am just daft."

She responds with a nervous laugh. I wave to her and walk down to the common room. I meet up with James and we head to the great hall. "Okay Jamie. So in apparition class, I need you to ask Tori where she was last night. Maybe she will tell you where she was…"

He shrugs and takes my hand. "Babe, she's not even in our class…"

I squeeze his hand. "Oh… yea. Well ask her at breakfast then please?"

"Fine…"

We walk into the great hall and take a seat. Professor McGonagall walks over to our table and taps me on the shoulder. "Miss Brighton, can you come with me for a moment please?"

**James' POV**

Astoria walks into the great hall as McGonagall walks out with Ari. She sits down across from me and Freddie and starts putting food on her plate. I take a bite of my toast and say "Hey Tori. I heard you got in pretty late last night."

She drops her plate and looks at me. "Uh, yea I did. I was tutoring someone and we didn't get done until late." She cleans up the mess she made and moves to another seat.

Freddie looks at me and I shrug my shoulders. Ariana walks back in and sits down. She takes some toast off my plate and eats it. I look at her and roll my eyes. "Why not get your own plate?"

She swallows the food in her mouth and grins. "Stolen food tastes the best." She grabs a piece of fruit off my plate and pops it into her mouth.

I let out a laugh. "You would know… Anyways! I asked Tori about last night. She said she was out tutoring, that's all."

She looks at me with wide eyes. "She told me she was in the common room all night and I just didn't see her. Now we are DEFINITELY going to follow her…"

"Do you EVER plan on letting me get to bed before three in the morning?" I say with a smirk.

She shakes her head firmly. "Nope!"

"Ariana I need my beauty sleep!"

She rolls her eyes and smiles. "Jamie, you're pretty enough! You don't have to come with if you don't want to though."

I sigh and shake my head. "I guess I can come with. You are going to need someone to protect you…"

She laughs. "How many times do we need to have this argument Jamie? If anyone in this relationship is the protector, it's me!"

Our banter continues all the way through Apparition class. After class, we leave the classroom and she stops me. "See you tonight?"

I nod. "Of course. Where do you want me to meet you?"

She looks around and leans toward me and says with a whisper, "The common room. I'm going to skip patrol tonight so we can follow her right away."

"I'll see you tonight then." I give her a kiss then we go our separate ways.

**Ari's POV**

My potions class went by oddly fast. The best part about the class, by far was watching Landen struggle. He made his potion wrong so it exploded right in his face. _Priceless._ The rest of my classes, however, went by extremely slow, probably because I am dying to figure out where Astoria has been off to.

Apparently my absence yesterday was noted because McGonagall pulled me into the hall this morning to talk to me about it. She told me I'm not allowed to miss any more classes or she will take away my prefect status.

Once I get released from my last class, Ancient Runes, I run to the common room. I know Astoria has a class after this, while James and I have a free period. I figure we can eat during the free period and then tail Astoria for the rest of the night.

Not even close.

I am almost at Gryffindor tower when a Gryffindor first year comes running up behind me. He grabs my sleeve and tugs at it. I turn around and he is standing with his hands on his knees breathing heavily. He hands me a piece of parchment and says between breaths. "This… is… from… Slughorn…"

He turns to leave but I grab his robe. "Hold it you." I read the note and roll my eyes. I pull out a piece of parchment and scrawl a messy note onto it. "I need you to deliver this to James Potter. He should be in the Gryffindor common room. You don't need to run or anything, I just need him to get it soon."

He nods and starts running. I call out after him. "THANK YOU!"

I reopen the parchment and read it again.

_Miss Brighton,_

_I will need you to report to my office urgently._

_Signed,_

_Professor Slughorn_

I fold it back up and put it in my pocket. _This better not take long… I don't want to have to fake sickness to get out of there._

I walk quickly down the corridor to Slughorn's office. I knock on the door and hear "Come in. Mister Raghnall, I do believe your tutor is here."

I open the door and my mouth drops. "Professor… I can't tutor him! You can't leave me in a room alone with him… I refuse to do jack shit to help him."

Slughorn looks at me with a shocked expression. "And why not Miss Brighton?"

I glance over to Landen who has a smirk on his face. "Because just looking at his horrendous face makes me want to hit him? Because he tried to behead my boyfriend with a bludger? Because he is a real asshole? Any of those reasons work for you?"

Slughorn shakes his head. "Miss Brighton, If you can't handle being alone with him then you can tutor him in the potions classroom. I am there every Monday and Friday. But you WILL be his tutor."

I look at Landen again and frown. "Fine, but not tonight. I have homework to do tonight." I open his office door and slam it shut behind me. I storm down the hallway, my anger festering inside. How could Slughorn just assign me to be Landen's tutor? We don't even get along! Plus I KNOW Landon works for Caledon... _I am being forced to tutor a Death Eater…_

I bitterly say the password to get into the Gryffindor common room. I see James sitting on one of the couches so I stomp over to him. I flop onto the couch heavily and grunt.

James raises and eyebrow. "Why exactly are you throwing a fit?"

I look at him through narrow eyes. "Shut up. You would be upset too if you were assigned to tutor that asshole Landen…"

His eyes widen at the news. "What? For what class?"

"Bloody potions. I tried to tell Slughorn I wouldn't do it but he told me I have no choice!" I shake my head and scoff.

He sighs. "Well then I guess you're Landen's potions tutor…"

I shoot him a glare and am about to respond when we hear the portrait open and we duck down. Astoria walks through and looks around. Once she has determined that the coast is clear, she runs upstairs.

James turns to me and whispers "I thought she had a class!"

"She does… Maybe she is skipping it?" I say with a shrug. "Do you have your cloak?"

He nods and pulls it out of his pocket. We wait in silence for a few more moments before she comes running back down the stairs. She has changed clothes and is only carrying her wand. She runs out of the common room and James and I spring into action. He throws the invisibility cloak over himself and I run after her silently, hiding behind suits of armor and pillars when necessary. She stops in front of the entrance to the prefect's bathroom and quickly says the password. She runs in and James and I sprint to make it through the entrance before it closes.

Once we are inside she walks into the stall that leads to the tunnel. Before we follow her in, James covers me with the cloak too. We make sure to stay as close as we can to her as we make our way through the dimly lit tunnel. She emerges from the tunnel and into the graveyard and apparates with a loud "POP!"

James and I take off the cloak and look at each other in shock. James breaks the silence first. "Where the hell did she go?"

I shrug. "I have NO idea… I guess we are going to have to wait here if we want to find out…"

He sits on the ground against a rock and I take a seat on his lap. "We better get comfortable. I figure we're going to be here for a while…"

**Only one chapter away from finding out where Astoria is off to! Where could it be? :P**

**I appreciate all the reviews and subscriptions! I love yall! As always, I would LOVE to know what you all thought about this chapter!**

**Thanks yall! :)**

**-Tx**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 17**

**James' POV**

"Hmm… Okay I've got it! If you could do one thing without being castigated, what would it be?" I ask her with a smile. Ariana and I had been waiting here in the graveyard for what felt like a lifetime. So, to pass the time, we decided to play twenty questions.

She laughs. "Oho! Look at you! Castigated…" She readjusts on my lap so that she is facing me and taps her chin thoughtfully. "That's a good question! Hm… I think I would eat all the time."

I let out a laugh and wrap my arms around her waist. "Wow… Not the answer I expected…"

She smirks. "What? I enjoy food! Now, my turn."

I nod at her. "Go right ahead. This is your last question though…"

"If YOU could do one thing without being castigated, what would it be?"

I shake my head. "I thought we agreed no repeating or reusing questions?"

She smiles. "I like this question though!"

I sigh. "If I could do one thing without facing reprimand, I think I would tell my dad what I really want to do with my life. He is sure that I need to be an Auror, but I really just want to professionally play quidditch like my mum. He would never understand though…"

She nods attentively. "I think you should tell him. I don't think he would be upset at all."

"I don't know. I will think about it." I say with a shrug.

She smiles widely. "It's your turn! Ask your last question!"

I smirk. "Okay, okay! Calm down before you hurt someone."

She wrinkles her nose and sticks out her tongue. I let out a chuckle and say "You're maturity level is astonishing sometimes… My question is… Are you scared?"

"Of what? Frogs? HELL yes."

I shake my head seriously and gesture around us. "Of this? The situation? The fact that there is a new Dark Lord who is threatening to disrupt the temporary balance we have here in the wizarding world?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "Before, no. Now though, I'm terrified."

I look at her incredulously. "Why weren't you scared before?"

She sighs and looks at a headstone nearby. "Because before, I only had a few things to lose, I could detach myself from a situation like that and still survive. Like with my parents. Yea their deaths were awful, but I was able to get over it eventually. Now I have so many more things, so many more people that I could potentially lose. It scares the hell out of me that my life relies on so many people now. Back at Salem, I made sure that never happened, but now I have a whole group of people who I worry about constantly."

"I better be in that group!" I say with a grin.

She smirks at me. "Nope-"

My mouth drops open and I cut her off. "Ariana!"

She holds her hand over my mouth. "Shut up for a second! You aren't in that group because you have a group all your own! There's the 'James' group and the 'everybody else' group."

I smile smugly. "Oh! Well then…"

She grabs my chin and looks me in the eye with a smile. "Don't let it go to your head James Potter."

"I would never!" I say with a head shake.

She smiles and gives me a kiss. "Liar."

We hear a loud "POP" and she sighs. "Showtime…"

We sneak into the tunnel and hide in the darkness. We hear faint footsteps heading in our direction. Ariana squeezes me hand and we emerge from the darkness to block the person's way. She waves her wand and lights up the tunnel, showing Astoria's panic stricken face. I hit Astoria with the expelliarmus spell and disarm her. Ariana steps forward and firmly says "I think it's time we had a talk."

**Ari's POV**

James and I walk Astoria back into the prefect bathroom. We sit her down and then sit in front of her and start questioning her.

"Tori, what have you been up to?"

She sighs. "Oh, this and that."

I give her a stern look. "Let me clarify. Where the hell did you just go and why have you been lying about where you've been?"

She clears her throat. "I've um… I've been visiting Carter's grave."

I look at James and then look back at her. "Okay… How did you find this place and why have you been coming here? Carter is buried by… a park in London." I had almost given away where the Potter's were living. I'm glad I caught myself when I did.

She looks at the ground. "Well I know that! But you can't apparate from inside Hogwarts so-"

I cut her off and finish her sentence. "-so you go to a place that's not a part of Hogwarts to apparate… Brilliant!"

She nods and continues to look at the ground.

James loudly chimes in. "Wait! How do you even know HOW to apparate?"

I smack him on the leg. "Jamie! How about we use our inside voices?"

A small smile forms on her face at James and my interaction. "I took apparitions class last year."

I nod. "So how long have you been doing this?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "Oh I don't know. Every night since the beginning of the year I guess."

I grab her hand. "Tori, I'm really sorry I haven't talked to you very much this year. I really am… I didn't realize you were taking Carter's death so horribly."

She looks back at the ground and her tone turns sour. "Can I go now?"

I look at James, slightly taken aback by her question and tone, and nod. "Um, yea sure…"

She briskly rises from the floor and shoves past James and me. I look at James, the hurt apparent on my face.

He grabs my hand and helps me up. "Don't take it personally, love. Don't you remember how upset you were last term?"

I nod. "I guess… But I'm still going to take it personal…"

We walk out of the bathroom and he smiles. "I know how to cheer you up…" He takes my wand and runs away.

"Jamie! This doesn't cheer me up! Ugh I don't want to chase… FINE!" I run after him with determination. He rounds a corner so I do the same. However, when I round the same corner he did, he's nowhere in sight. I stop and look around. "Jamie?" I walk forward slowly and look behind suits of armor and columns. "James where are you?"

Someone touches my shoulder and I about have a heart attack. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?" I place my hand on my chest and lean my back against a wall to steady myself. I look up and see James doubled over in laughter. "James was this to make ME feel better or was it for YOU?"

He catches his breath. "Did I scare you?"

I roll my eyes and grin. "Oh no. I always scream and go into cardiac arrest when I walk through the halls! Prat…"

He walks over and hands me my wand. "Feel better?"

"I guess a little…" I say with a shrug.

He leans forward and kisses me. "How about now?"

I nod my head. "I still don't feel any better. Maybe another kiss will do the trick?"

He kisses me again and I sigh. "Maybe one more?"

He chuckles and shakes his head. "You are incredibly difficult to please, you know that?"

"James Potter! Are you calling me high maintenance?" I shove him lightly and fake offense.

He grabs my hand and pulls me down the corridor. "We should get to b… Do you hear that?" He stops and turns his head toward a corridor opposite us. He pulls me behind him and we walk in the direction of the noise he heard. We are just near the end corner of the corridor when I hear people talking. We crouch behind a suit of armor and listen.

"Is it done?"

"Yes Landen, it's done! How dare you doubt my abilities!"

"Well, Arowena, you are a bit dense. But he will be pleased to know that you aren't completely useless. Now let's go before anyone catches us out past curfew… As if it will matter much longer…"

Landen and Arowena's footsteps approach the corridor we are hiding in so we press ourselves flat against the wall to avoid being seen. They pass by us quickly without seeing us and continue out of the corridor. I emerge from behind the armor first. "'He will be pleased to know you aren't completely useless'? Who and what do you think they were talking about?"

He shrugs. "I'm not sure. But I assume you plan on finding out?"

I look at him with wide eyes. "Of course! But not tonight… We should head off to bed now." We interlace our fingers and walk back to Gryffindor tower discussing apparitions class and the different homework assignments we had been assigned.

Once we get into the common room, we give each other a kiss full of fervor and I say "I will see you tomorrow?"

He nods with a smile.

We kiss again and then go to our rooms. I change into my pajamas and sigh. I know I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight so I grab my DADA book, along with a blanket, and quietly walk back down to the common room. I lie down on the couch and cover myself with the blanket. I look out the window and smile at the stars. I open my book and begin reading.

_Chapter XV_

_The patronus charm is easy to learn once you know how to…_

I can feel my eyes getting heavier and the book slipping down. I try to fight the sleep but it gets harder the more I read. I lean my head back against the armrest and get comfortable. I hold my eyes open for a few moments but they get heavy once again. _I AM NOT allowed to fall asleep… I AM NOT allowed to fall asleep…_

(Break)

I feel something tickling my face and I swat it away angrily. I had finally fallen asleep and someone thought it appropriate to wake me after only ten minutes? Who the hell is up this late anyways? Something tickles my face again. I pull my blanket up over my face. "Piss off!"

I hear snickering and then someone say "Well that was rude wasn't it?"

"Jamie, what the hell are you still doing up?"

He laughs. "Freddie, she wants to know what I'm still doing up…"

Freddie lets out a hearty laugh and says "Oho I do believe she is a bit confused!"

I pull the blanket off my face to yell at them and I am instantly blinded by sunlight. I jump off the couch and my DADA book falls to the floor. "Shit! What time is it? Did I miss Apparitions class?"

James chuckles. "Ari, love, it's Saturday. No class today. But you did miss breakfast! More black letters came today… Freddie and I have something planned for dinner tonight though."

A large smile spreads across my face. "It's Saturday? But that means… Merlin! Bella comes back today!"

Freddie and James both nod with grins on their faces. "Why do you think we woke you up? She gets here in an hour. Now go get dressed!"

I sprint up the stairs and run into my room. Astoria is still sleeping and Rachelle is getting ready in the bathroom. I run into the bathroom and wrap her in a hug. "Bells comes home today!"

She laughs and hugs me back. "I know! I am so excited!"

I grab my toothbrush and brush my teeth. Then I brush and style my hair and then run back out into our room. I rummage through my trunk for an outfit, making loads of noise as I do. Astoria rolls over in her bed and groans loudly at my noisy search. I quietly apologize to her and pick out a t-shirt and jeans. I put on my clothes and sit on my bed to wait for Rachelle to finish. "Rach hurry up!"

She laughs loudly. "Ari, we still have forty five minutes before she shows up! Calm down!" She slowly brushes her blue and brown hair and puts it into a braid. She strolls into the room casually and neatly pulls clothes out of her trunk. She holds up two shirts and turns to me. "Which one do you like better?"

I point to a green v-neck shirt. "That one."

She dips her head in thanks and changes into her outfit. She puts all her clothes back into her trunk neatly and turns to me. "NOW we can go."

I look at the watch James got me for Christmas and smile. Rachelle has taken thirty minutes to get ready, which means only fifteen minutes until Bella gets here. It takes at least fifteen minutes to get to the lake from here (We have to meet her at the lake since we aren't allowed to leave the grounds and the train station is off the grounds.)

I grab Rachelle's arm. I drag her down the stairs and into the common room. James and Freddie are sitting on the couch talking when Rachelle and I run over to them. "Let's go!"

James looks at Freddie and laughs. "I think she's more excited than you Fred!"

Freddie shakes his head. "I doubt that's possible. She may be close though. She's definitely _bouncier_ than I am…"

I giggle and grab James and Freddie's arms. I drag them out of the common room, followed closely by a chuckling Rachelle, and say, "LET'S GO!"

I drop Freddie's arm and smile. "Lead the way…" He nods with a smirk. He walks ahead and leads us outside. I release James' arm and grab his hand.

He looks at me with a smile. "You really are excited aren't you?"

I look at him flatly. "Do you remember those groups we were talking about last night? Bella is in the 'everyone else' group. She's like a sister to me."

Rachelle turns around. "Hey! What about me?"

"You're like a sister too! Keep walking!" I say with an eye roll and a laugh.

We all get to the lake just as Bella's boat is pulling up to shore. I wait for her to step out of the boat and then sprint to her. "BELLS!" I excitedly wrap my arms around her and hug her tightly. "Oh Bells I've missed you so much!"

She smiles weakly. "Hey Ari. I missed you too."

I release her from the hug and let Rachelle and Freddie greet her. I walk back to James and lean against him. "She still seems sad… Are you two going to launch operation fireface tonight at dinner?"

He looks at me with wide eyes. "How do you know about… Yes, yes we are…"

I nod. "Good. I think she could use a laugh."

After Bella brings her things back to our room, we all go and have a picnic by the quidditch pitch. We tell her about everything that's happened in the past two days and she tells us what happened with her. By the time we've finished, it's already dinner time.

James looks at Freddie and nods. "I think it's time we went to the great hall dear cousin. Don't you?"

Freddie looks at his watch and grins. "I do believe you're right. Let's adjourn to the great hall!"

I grab James' hand as we walk back to the castle. "You two are daft, you know that?"

He grins and kisses my hand. "That's why you love us though."

I roll my eyes and grin. "I guess…"

We enter the great hall and take a seat. James and Freddie grin at each other. "Let the show begin…"

All five of us turn toward the Slytherine table and wait. I can hear Freddie counting down quietly next to me. "three…two…one..."

BOOM!

**Woo-hoo! Bella is back! And we finally know where Astoria has been going! Or do we? hehehe...**

**Let me know your thoughts on the chapter with a review!**

**Love yall! Thanks for the support!**

**-Tx :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 18**

**Ari's POV**

_BOOM!_

Everyone turns at the sound of the explosion that echoes from the Slytherine table. All the Slytherine students' faces are covered in colored soot and food. The great hall erupts in laughter from the surrounding tables.

I turn to James and Freddie with wide eyes. "What did you two do?"

Freddie grins. "Well, dear Ariana, we talked to the house elves in the kitchen and got them to put fireworks in all of their food."

James chimes in. "Oh and the fireworks are cursed. So when the firework explodes, the color of the explosion stains whatever it comes in contact with."

I nod with an approving look. "VERY nice… Doesn't look like McGonagall thinks so though…"

She is standing at the head table looking at the Slytherines in shock. Her face turns to rage as the looks over at James and Freddie. "JAMES POTTER! FRED WEASLEY! MY OFFICE! NOW!"

They stand up and bow to the great hall with grins. They wave to the Slytherine table and walk out. I look over to Bella and Rachelle, who are still doubled over in laughter. I smile at them. "Bells, didn't you miss this place?"

She nods. "I needed that…" We all glance back to the Slytherine table once again and launch into another laughing fit.

The Slytherines are at their table wiping the food off their faces, only to reveal the brightly color that stains their faces from the firework soot. This causes them to freak out more. Some of the girls even start crying! It really is a sight to see. _I'm going to have to remember to thank James for this later…_

Bella, Rachelle and I all quickly eat our food and leave the great hall. We walk back to the common room and decide to do our homework while we wait for the guys to get back. Bella decides to unpack, but not before Rachelle and I have to calm her down about the prank.

"What if they get suspended?"

I laugh. "Bella! They aren't going to get suspended! The worst they will get is detention. They knew what they were doing when they planned the prank."

Rachelle chortles and looks up from her book. "They've played pranks before Bells. Why do you think McGonagall knew to call them out right away? They will be fine!"

She sighs and plays with her hair anxiously. "But what if she holds their past pranks against them? What if they get in more trouble because they're repeat offenders?"

"Repeat offenders? You make them sound like criminals! It was a harmless… okay well mostly harmless prank. It will be alright!" I say while I work on my potions essay.

She nods, half convinced. "Okay… I'm going to unpack then. Let me know when they get back."

Rachelle nods. "We will. We'll be down here if you need us."

She walks upstairs and we continue doing our homework.

The guys don't get back until late, around 11:30. By then we had finished our homework and Bella had finished unpacking and we were sitting in the common room with Bella freaking out again.

When James and Freddie walked in, we bombarded them with questions about what happened in McGonagall's office. They ended up with two weeks detention for the prank but that was it. Bella lectures them about their pranking for a good ten minutes before we head off to bed. Before I go to my room I grab James' arm. "Should we tell McGonagall about that tunnel?"

He shakes his head. "That's the only way Tori can go visit Carter. If you take that away from her she'll never forgive you."

I nod. "I guess you're right…" I give him a kiss and we go to bed. I still want to tell McGonagall about the tunnel… It's a secret way into Hogwarts… Caledon could find out about it and use it to his advantage… I shake the thoughts out of my head and fall onto my mattress.

(Break)

The next morning came quickly. Rather than go to breakfast James, Bella, Freddie, Rachelle, Logan and I all went and had a picnic by the lake. Al even showed up later with a Ravenclaw girl whose name is Caia Tallis. After eating for a bit, James grabs a blanket and my hand and pulls me up a hill. As soon as I see the forest along the horizon I know where he is taking me. We walk into the forbidden forest and carefully make our way to our clearing.

We walk through a wall of low hanging branches and leaves and stop. I smile at the sight of the tall trees that tower over the clearing and the wildflowers and long grass that cover the ground. Birds chirp up above as they soar overhead. I take in a deep breath and inhale the sweet aroma that the flowers are emitting. James walks over to the middle of the field and drapes the blanket down. I walk over and lie down on my back on the blanket and he lowers himself down next to me. He turns to face me and props his head up with his arm. I turn my head and look at him with a smile. "We haven't been here in a long time."

He nods with a smile. "I figured today would be a good day to visit the place. It's fairly sunny. When was the last time you were in the forest?"

I close my eyes and Carter's last words echo in my head.

"_One little problem. You requested the life of my best friend. I wouldn't give her up to anyone. She's plays a very important role in your demise, and I wouldn't want to rob her of that joy by giving her to you." He looks over to me. "Ariana, promise me you will beat this asshole."_

_I nod my head and quietly say "I promise Carter."_

I sigh and shake my head. "Not since the night Carter died…"

He reaches his free hand over and plays with a strand of my hair. "I thought you were over this?"

"He was like my brother. You don't just get over that sort of thing. I'm getting better, but I'm not over it." I say with another head shake.

He sighs. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have brought it up."

I open my eyes and smile at him. "Let's talk about something a little less depressing. When was the last time you were in this clearing?"

He chuckles and says "Easy! The last time I was here was when we first kissed."

I smirk. "You know, it's been a whole year since then and I don't quite remember that day. You may need to refresh my memory…"

He laughs and leans his face toward mine and kisses me on the nose. "As long as you don't run away crying like you did then…"

I grin and shrug my shoulders. "I can't make any promises…"

He smiles and presses his lips to mine. Our kiss starts out gently but increases in eagerness after a bit, his lips pressing firmly against mine. I wrap one of my hands around his neck and pull him closer to me. He grins at the gesture and interlaces his fingers with those of my free hand.

It begins to rain heavily on us and James breaks away with a laugh. "Now it really is like the first time we were in here!"

I smirk. "Are you sure you don't want me to run away crying? I wouldn't want to mess with the historical accuracy…"

He kisses me again and grins. "Historical? Really?"

We hear the trees behind us rustling and then hear someone say "So this is where you two went off to!"

James shakes his head and sighs. "Why Freddie? Why?"

Freddie laughs. "I just have impeccable timing I guess! This place is brilliant! How long have you been keeping this place from us?"

James shakes his head again and groans. "Piss off Fred! We're busy!"

I give James a quick kiss and sit up. "Freddie, Bella. Please come take a seat." James sits up and looks at me with wide eyes. I cup his face and give him another kiss. "Jamie, love, we don't need to be rude. They can join us if they'd like." He sighs and sits up too, gesturing to the other side of the blanket as he does.

Bella smiles and drags Freddie over. "Thanks Ari. Rach and Logan got into a fight so Freddie and I decided to leave them be. This place really is lovely… How did you two find this place?"

I look over at James and smile. The rain has matted his dark messy hair down and the raindrops run down his face quickly. "We just… stumbled upon it." He nods and wraps his arm around me with a smirk.

Freddie, whose hair and clothes are soaked by now, shakes his head rapidly and flings water around at us. "Well it was quite a good find!"

Bella lets out a laugh and nods. She tucks her dripping hair behind her ears and lies back. Freddie, James and I follow suit. We spend the rest of the day out in the torrential rain talking about classes and holiday memories.

**James' POV**

So it turns out that staying out in the cold, incessant rain does in fact have the potential to incapacitate a person with sickness. Due to our little picnic in the rain Bella, Freddie, Ariana and I are stuck in the hospital wing with colds. We are in the hospital wing for a week, which we spent doing homework and passing notes to each other.

The day we got out of the hospital wing Ariana and I have a test in Apparitions class. We spend all of breakfast cramming for the test and quizzing each other.

(Break)

We walk out of the classroom and Ari lets out a sigh of relief. "So that test was ridiculous…"

I let out a laugh. "Yes but that is probably because we studied last minute…"

She nods with a laugh and grabs my hand. We walk to Gryffindor tower and say the password. The portrait swings open and reveals a sobbing Rachelle and Bella trying to comfort her. As soon as we walk in Bella rushes over to Ariana and grabs her arm, pulling her over to Rachelle and leaving me standing alone in the entrance to the common room.

**Ari's POV**

Bella pulls me away from James and over to the couch where Rachelle is sobbing. I shoot him an apologetic look and sit next to Rachelle. "Rach, what's wrong?"

She looks at me with her tear and make-up stained face and manages to say "Logan…" before she breaks down into loud sobs again.

Bella looks at me with sympathy in her eyes and clarifys. "Logan's missing..."

**Okay yall. This was more of a filler chapter. It's not my favorite chapter. I had a bad case of writers block with this one...**

**Let me know what you thought about it though!**

**As always, I appreciate the support! :)**

**Thanks!**

**-Tx**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 19**

**Ari's POV**

"Logan's… missing?" I look from Rachelle to Bella with shock. "How do you know he's missing and not just avoiding you?"

Rachelle looks at me with anger. "That was mean Ariana!"

I sigh and play with a strand of my hair. "Sorry Rach… I just figured since you two got in a fight that maybe avoiding you was a viable guess…"

She rolls her eyes and sobs into her hand. Bella looks at me firmly and sits down next to Rachelle to comfort her. I shrug my shoulders and sigh. "Okay… Well I have class to get to so I will talk to you later…" I walk up to my room and get my things for my next class and then leave the common room.

(Break)

I get through my last class and quickly make my way to Gryffindor tower. Today is my first day to tutor Landen and I am not excited at all. I would rather stab myself in the arm for a week straight than tutor Landen. I rush into my room, change clothes and grab my potions stuff. I sprint out of my room and into the corridor. I pass James on the way and give him a quick kiss before I continue down toward the potions dungeon. I get to the dungeon and swing the door open with force. I slow myself down and walk into the room calmly.

As soon as I get into the room I see Slughorn sitting at the front of the room flipping through essays and Landen in the back of the room twirling his quill with disinterest. I walk to the table Landen is sitting at and drop my books. "Let's get this over with."

He looks at me with disdain. "Don't tell me what to do American."

I shrug my shoulders and pick up my books. "Fine. You can fail potions class then. I honestly don't care."

Professor Slughorn looks up from his grading. "Miss Brighton, where do you think you're going?"

"I can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped. Sorry professor…" I say as I reach for the door handle.

He clears his throat loudly. "Miss Brighton, you are one of my best students…"

I shake my head and scoff. "Talk to him. He's the one whose being a git."

Slughorn sighs. "Mister Raghnall, please accept her help. She is the only way you will be able to pass this class."

Landen grunts and spits out a sour "Fine."

I walk back over to the table and smirk. "There's a good boy. Now open your book. We are going to brew a forgetfulness potion since it's fairly simple. Please go get some Lethe river water, some mistletoe berries, some standard ingredient and valerian sprigs."

He rolls his eyes and walks over to the ingredients cabinet. He comes back to the table with all the ingredients and huffs. "Now what, American?"

I hold up my hand. "If I'm going to help you, then you are going to have to call me by my name…"

He rolls his eyes again and grimaces. "Ariana…"

"Now that wasn't so hard was it?" I say with a smirk.

We begin the potion in silence. After we've added most of the ingredients I say "Now we have to wait ninety five minutes. Hope you don't have anywhere important to be."

He ignores me and we sit in silence for a bit. After a few moments Landen breaks the silence. "So I understand that you know my brother?"

I look at him incredulously. "Who's your brother?"

"Castor Perlorn…"

**James' POV**

I am walking to Gryffindor tower from my last class when Ariana runs into me in the middle of the corridor. She apologizes and gives me a quick kiss before continuing quickly along her previous path. I look at my watch and sigh. I had forgotten that today was the first day she was supposed to tutor Landen. I turn back around and continue toward Gryffindor tower.

I get into the common room and find a panicked Bella sitting on one of the couches. "Bells what's going on?"

She runs over to me with wide eyes and grabs my arm tightly. "Have you seen Freddie?"

I grab her wrist and pry her hand off my arm. I shake my head. "No. I was coming here to meet him. He might still be coming back from class though. I will wait for him here with you."

We both sit on the couch and Bella taps her toes on the ground nervously. I place my hand on her shoulder and sigh. "Let's play a game. How about twenty questions? Ariana and I play it when we need to pass the time."

She nods and turns to face me. "You go first."

I run my fingers through my hair and sigh. "Okay, um… What's your favorite color?"

She lets out a small laugh and shakes her head. "That's the best you've got? Easy. My favorite color is orange. My turn… Who is your best friend?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't really have a best friend. I never know who are friends with me because I'm awesome or just for my family's name. Okay now what did you do…"

I begin to get worried when our game has lasted for two hours and Freddie still hasn't showed up. I can tell that Bella is beginning to get nervous too. We hear the portrait open and our heads whip around to see who is entering.

First Al walks in.

Followed by Ariana.

Then Freddie comes strolling into the common room. Bella and I jump off the couch and rush over to them. Bella throws her arms around Freddie and lets out a loud sob. I slap him on the back and say "What happened to 'I'll meet you in the common room after class.'?"

He laughs and tries to pry the crying Bella off of his neck. "Sorry mate. You're bloody brilliant girlfriend decided to hit Monroe with that color changing spell she got us with last year. I had to help her get out of there before Monroe found her! …Bells, why are you crying?"

She releases him from her grip and punches him in the chest. She wipes her eyes and tries to calm down. "Freddie W-Weasley! I was worried s-sick! I thought you were m-missing just like Logan!"

Ariana sighs and shakes her head. "First of all, Freddie I totally saved you from Monroe! And second, Bells how do you KNOW Logan is missing?"

She gives Ariana a worried look. "Because Rach got a note…"

**Ari's POV**

_I look at him incredulously. "Who's your brother?"_

"_Castor Perlorn…"_

I look at him with wide eyes and stay quiet for almost an hour. When I decide to answer, I unconsciously place my hand on my abdomen and grimace. "Your brother is Perlorn? Well now I know where you get your charming disposition from…"

He shrugs and leans back in his chair while kicking his legs up onto the table in front of him. "He's my step brother actually. I heard you two were best mates!"

I let out a cynical laugh and remember all the things that Perlorn had done to me and my friends. "If you can be 'best mates' with a sadistic asshole... He wasn't quite as lovely as you are, but he was a close second."

"That is rather unfortunate…" He says with a grimace.

I raise an eyebrow at him. "What is?"

"That my brother is so close to me in bothering you. I've worked hard to beat him."

I roll my eyes and frown. "Fine. You annoy me WAY more than you brother did. Will that get you to shut up about this? I don't like the fact that I'm getting to know you."

It isn't true that Landen annoys me more than Perlorn. Perlorn HAD been there when my best friend had been murdered. He HAD been the one holding me back during that fight. He HAD tried to kill me in the corridor last year. He was a prat and downright awful.

Our potion starts boiling and breaks me out of my thoughts. I look over and see Landen still leaned back, but asleep. I push his feet and knock him out of his chair. He jumps up from the ground and glares at me. "What the bloody hell was that for American?"

I point to the cauldron. "The potion is done and you are sleeping! Now I know why you are failing! I'm here to TUTOR you, not do the work FOR you!"

He scoffs and looks at the potion. "It's done? Okay then I'm leaving."

I grab his robes and stop him from walking away. "Not until you bring a sample of this up to Slughorn."

He glares at me as he puts a sample of the potion into a vial. We bring it up to Slughorn, who okays it and excuses us both. I push past Landen and run into the corridor. Ahead of me I see Monroe yelling at Freddie so I hide behind a suit of armor and whisper the color-changing spell while pointing my wand at her.

I had used this spell once before last year when Astoria, Rachelle, Bella, Carter and I had played a prank on James and his pranking friends. The prank was to reciprocate one they had played on me on my first day here at Hogwarts. The spell hadn't quite gone as planned though. We had intended on just turning their hair bright colors, but instead turned their entire bodies bright colors.

The spell hits her directly and her entire body instantly turns neon purple. Freddie doubles over with laughter and Monroe gets even angrier. I wander out from behind the armor and walk over to Freddie and Monroe. I grab his arm and pull him away while stifling a giggle. Before we round the corner I turn around and yell "What's with the purple Monroe? Is there something lodged in your throat or something?"

She turns to one of her followers and demands a mirror. I tug on Freddie's arm and say "Let's get out of here before she realizes what I've done… There will be serious hell to pay if we're here when she sees her new color."

We turn and run down the corridor to Gryffindor tower. We run into Al along the way and invite him back to the tower with us. We get to the portrait and say the password. Al goes in first and I follow behind him. Freddie follows me in.

As soon as he steps through the portrait hole Bella and James rush over to him. Bella throws her arms around his neck and begins sobbing into his shoulder. James slaps Fred on the back and says "What happened to 'I'll meet you in the common room after class.'?"

Freddie laughs and tries to pull the crying Bella from around his neck. "Sorry mate. You're bloody brilliant girlfriend decided to hit Monroe with that color changing spell she got us with last year. I had to help her get out of there before Monroe found her! …Bells, why are you crying?"

Bella releases her grip from around Freddie's neck and punches him in the chest. She takes a couple of deep breaths and then says "Freddie W-Weasley! I was worried s-sick! I thought you were m-missing just like Logan!"

I sigh and shake my head. I look at Freddie with narrowed eyes and a smirk. "First of all, Freddie I totally saved you from Monroe!" I look at Bella and my smirk falls. "Second, Bells how do you KNOW Logan is missing?"

She gives me an apprehensive look. "Because Rach got a note…"

**Logan really is missing! Yikes! I wonder where he is... hehe**

**As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! What you think so far and/or what you think is going to happen next!**

**Thanks for reading my story guys! :)**

**-Tx**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 20**

**Ari's POV**

"She got a… note?" I can hear the skepticism in my voice as I say the last word. "What kind of note?"

Bella sighs and walks back over to the couch. She takes a seat and we all follow suit. I sit on James' lap and turn to face Bella. Bella laces her fingers together and sighs again. "She got a black envelope this morning at the beginning of our first class. The owl just… flew in. It flew right over her and dropped the envelope in front of her. She read it and broke down. The professor excused her and she left. I still have the note if you want to read it."

I nod and she gets up from the couch and runs upstairs. She comes back down holding a black envelope by the corner with a look of disgust on her face. She drops it in my lap and sits back down. James reaches around me and pulls the note out of the envelope. He holds it up in front of us so that he and I can read it. I read it over and look up at Bella with concern. Freddie clears his throat. "Read it out loud already!"

I apologize and clear my throat. "If you want to get your pretty little boyfriend back in one piece, you are going to have to do exactly as we ask. We will send you further instructions soon."

The room becomes eerily silent as we absorb what was just read aloud. I break the silence after a few minutes. "Where is Rach now?"

Bella shrugs. "After you left, she ran out of the common room. I haven't the slightest idea where she is now."

I purse my lips and curse internally. "Have you showed this to McGonagall? She would probably want to know that one of her students is missing…"

She shakes her head. I sigh and stand up. "I'll go tell her. You lot go tell McGonagall."

I turn and walk out of the common room into the hall. I hear feet slapping against the stone floor behind me. "Ari wait! I'm coming with you!"

James catches up with me and lets out a large exhale. "Do you know the password to McGonagall's office?"

I exhale sharply and slap my palm to my face. "Dammit!"

James smirks. "Good thing I came along then, huh? I just happen to know the password…"

I look at him with a large smile. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

He grabs my hand and pulls me down the corridor with a shrug and a smirk. "You could stand to say it more often."

We get to the gargoyle and James says "Cauldron Cakes". The gargoyle raises up slowly, the stairs situating as they do. We walk briskly up the stairs and open the door to McGonagall's office.

She looks up from her desk with a startled expression. "Mr. Potter, Ms. Brighton. What are you doing in my office?"

I ignore her question and slap the black envelope onto her desk. "There is a student missing from Hogwarts."

She delicately picks up the envelope and gingerly pulls out the note wrapped inside. Her eyes flit from side to side as she reads the piece of parchment in her hands. It feels like years go by as she reads the parchment. I clear my throat and her head snaps up. "Miss Brighton, obviously your boyfriend is right her so this note carries no meaning."

I roll my eyes and scoff. "It obviously didn't come to me. I was delivered to Rachelle Abrams, whose boyfriend is the Ravenclaw prefect Logan Radley."

Her gaze hardens and she looks at me tersely. "Well then why isn't Miss Abrams bringing this to me?"

I roll my eyes again and sigh loudly. "We don't bloody have time for this! I can't-"

James cuts me off and steps forward. "Professor, nobody knows where Rachelle is. She took off at the start of her first class and now nobody can find her."

McGonagall purses her lips. "Thank you for alerting me. Now, if you don't mind, I have some things to attend to…"

We take the hint and leave her office. Once we get into the corridor we make our way back to the tower. We get to the portrait but before we say the password and enter, I grab James' arm and pull him to a stop. I wrap my arms around his neck with a sheepish grin and sigh. "Thank you for intervening back there…"

He winds his arms around my waist with a laugh and gives me a kiss. "It's what I'm here for."

"You always seem to know when I'm going to freak out. How?"

He laughs again and grins. "I have my ways…"

I roll my eyes. "You're impossible, you know that?"

He opens his mouth to respond but gets cut off by an aggressive throat clearing. "Do you two plan on entering the common room or are you just going to stand there and sicken me?"

James turns to the portrait of the fat lady and chuckles. "So sorry we sicken you. Yes we plan on entering... Mermaid scale."

She swings open while mumbling about couples and vomiting. James and I look at each other and burst into laughter as we walk into the common room to rejoin the others.

(Break)

Yesterday had been another day to tutor Landen, and that went horribly. He really thinks I'm just going to do the work for him! I'm going to have to teach him a lesson on Monday. Today, however is Saturday and I have big plans for James and I.

I conjure a patronus and send it to James' room. A few moments later he comes stumbling down the stairs with my patronus following close behind him. "Ariana get this bloody thing off of me!" I wave my wand with a grin and the patronus disappears. He rubs his eyes and frowns at me. "What time is it?"

I grin again. "Ten thirty in the morning!"

He grimaces at the time. "Why the bloody hell did you wake me up so early?"

I hold up some sheets. "We're going to build a fort!"

He crosses the room and takes a seat on the couch. He lets out a yawn and shakes his head. "You know we have magic right? We don't need to BUILD anything…"

I grab his arm and attempt to pull him up. "Where's the fun in that? I used to do this all the time when I was little! We will get to use a bit of magic though. Please Jamie?"

He sighs and gets up from the couch. "I will be back down in twenty minutes…"

I sit on the red couch and wait for James to finish getting ready upstairs. This week had been a long one. At dinner, the day after James and I told McGonagall about Logan's absence, she announced to the students that our curfew has been moved up an hour. If any non-prefects or non-heads are caught out past curfew, they are to be brought straight to McGonagall's office. We also aren't supposed to wander around the halls alone and are supposed to go straight to and from classes. The weekends, however, are ours. We still can't roam around alone, but other than that we are free to do as we please.

James walks back down the stairs and chuckles. "How could I not have noticed before?"

I look at him skeptically. "Noticed what?"

"You're wearing my shirt!" he exclaims as he gets to the bottom of the stairs.

I grin and shrug my shoulders. "Today is a comfy day. Plus, I think it looks quite nice on me."

He laughs and grabs some of the sheets. "Let's start."

I put up my hand. "We aren't building it here! Everyone else would want to be a part of it! We are going somewhere else. Follow me." I pick up the sheets and we make our way outside. I lead him to the forbidden forest and into the flowered clearing. I start gathering long sticks and bring them into the clearing. "We are going to build our fort HERE!"

(Break)

We stand back, looking proudly at our fort. It is held up by four long sticks. Well, sticks and magic. James and I couldn't get the sticks to stay up so we ended up using magic to keep them upright. The sheet on the top billows lightly in the wind while the sheets on the sides and back puff out as the fort fills with wind. We crawl inside and I look at him with a satisfied grin. "Our fort is lovely."

"I agree. Where did you get all these sheets anyways?"

I chuckle and shrug my shoulders. "Oh I just found them… But if Monroe and her roommates complain about missing sheets, we don't know anything!"

He laughs loudly and sighs. "You are terrible!"

"It's why you love me." I say with another shrug.

He gives me a kiss and nods. "That it is…"

**Thank you to the people who left reviews about the last chapter! I truly appreciate yalls support!**

**I had an empiphany last night and that is going to reflect in the next chapter. I decided to end this chapter on a happier note since I plan on the next chapter being a bit dark.**

**I would love to know your thoughts about this chapter!**

**Thanks! Love yall! :)**

**-Tx :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 21**

**Logan's POV**

I groggily open my eyes to darkness. I feel the cold chill of a stone floor underneath me as I lay clumsily on my side. I try to swallow but the gag in my mouth is making the task almost impossible. I try to push myself upright, but to no avail. My hands are bound behind me and I am tied to a gate of some kind. My head is killing me; my temples throbbing in pain as I try to fully regain consciousness.

I readjust so that I'm sitting upright, my back pressed firmly against the bars of the gate. I blink my eyes rapidly to try and I my eyes adjust to the dark. I presume I am in a dungeon of some sort because there are no windows in the room. I hear footsteps echoing toward me as they step against the cold stone floor.

The door, placed across the room from me, opens widely. The light that enters from the opening is bright and blinding. I turn my face away from the bright light and narrow my eyes to see who is standing in the doorway. I see a tall, masculine silhouette standing in contrast to the lit doorway.

The silhouette lets out a low, throaty chuckle. "Well Mister Radley, it's about time you woke up… I was beginning to think we had killed you… That wouldn't do, now would it? We couldn't use that dear girlfriend of yours if you were dead!"

I grunt my protest loudly against the gag. The man walks across the room to me, each step clicking louder as he gets closer. He crouches down in front of me and brings up his hand quickly. I instinctually flinch away from his raised hand, evoking another chuckle out of him. He reaches out and yanks the gag from my mouth violently. He grabs my shirt and yanks it forward aggressively so that our faces are inches apart. He sneers and breathes his rancid breath on me. "Don't worry. We don't plan on killing you… yet. We're going to use your kidnapping to manipulate your little girlfriend first."

He throws me back with force, releasing my shirt as he does. I hit the bars of the gate hard, the bars forming bruises along the edge of my spine. I tightly close my eyes and grunt at the pain. The man stands up and sighs. "Now what I need you to do is-"

I find my voice and mutter with a raspy, dry voice "Go to hell." I cough at the exertion and glare at the man. He brings his foot up and kicks me in the stomach angrily. The air sharply escapes my lungs and I struggle to regain my breath.

He crouches down again. "Let's try this again. Are you listening?"

I look up at him and say through gritted teeth "GO. TO. HELL."

He briskly brings his fist up and punches me in the face. My head snaps to the side at the impact and I can taste faint traces of blood in my mouth. I turn my head back to him and spit out the blood on him. He growls and yanks me forward, the ropes that are binding me to the gate snapping as he does. He throws me across the room and I skid across the floor on my stomach. I hit the wall with a thud. He runs over and kicks me in the stomach again and I groan at the pain. He walks to the door and yells "Andromeda, the filth needs some convincing…"

I lay against the wall with my arm around my stomach as a tall, slender woman with messy hair briskly walks in. As she walks in the man says "Do what you must…"

She nods firmly to the man and says "Yes my Lord." The man walks out and slams the door behind him, leaving the room pitch black. The woman flips on a light and faces me. She has her blonde hair pulled up into an erratic bun; strands of hair falling about wildly. She has a large, crazed grin on her face as she faces me. She probably used to be very beautiful, but now all but traces of that beauty has left. She is in a tattered brown dress. She takes slow barefooted steps toward me, her excitement becoming more apparent as she gets closer to me. I prop myself up and put my hand up defensively.

"You will do as my Lord says?" she says with a heavy French accent.

I smirk and manage to say "Piss off."

She shrieks a spell and aggressively waves her wand at me. I feel a stinging sensation on my face. I reach my hand up and touch my face. I pull my fingers back and see them covered in dark, warm blood. "Shit…"

She cackles and flicks her wand again. I shoot through the air and hit the opposite wall. I fall to the ground and struggle to get up. She happily skips over to me and jumps on top of me. Her knees pin me to the ground and she has her wand pointed at me, her face inches from mine. I struggle against her but she murmurs another spell and something binds my wrists to the ground. She gets up and does the same thing to my ankles. She grins maniacally and stands over me. "You WILL do as my Lord says!"

She whirls her wand and slices my thigh. I clench my teeth and widen my eyes at the excruciating pain. She crouches down with a crazed look. As her wand gets closer I can feel the heat emitting from the end of it. She places the tip of her wand against the bare skin of my thigh right under the cut she just gave me. Once again, I clench my teeth and thrash about trying to escape the heat. The pain spreads as the burn gets larger, spreading throughout my thigh. A cry of pain escapes my lips which provokes her. She releases her wand from my leg and jumps on me again. She looks at me, insanity playing at all her features as her bun falls messily from its placement. She cackles and gets up off of me and skips away. I hear the door open and shut behind me.

I struggle to pull my wrists free from the invisible binds that hold me to the ground, straining myself as I do. I clench my teeth and try again, groaning at the exertion as I do. I hear the door open again behind me and I yell as loud as I can.

I hear that deep, throaty chuckle from before and narrow my eyes at the ceiling. The man sighs. "I'm going to need you to kill Ariana Brighton."

I grit my teeth and coldly say "I'm not your puppet."

He laughs and walks over to me. He stands above me and stomps on my chest. My body lurches upward against the restraints and my eyes widen with pain. I lower back to the floor and groan. He sighs. "I'm going to need you to kill Ariana Brighton."

"Screw you."

He stomps aggressively on my chest again. Once again I wrench at the pain, another groan escaping my lips. The man pinches the bridge of his nose and glares at me. "You WILL kill Ariana Brighton."

I glare back up at him and purse my lips. "Piss off asshole…"

This time, instead of stomping on my chest, he violently brings his foot down on my face. The sole of his shoe impacts my nose, leading to a loud crunching noise. I can feel warm blood spurting from my shattered nose and I cry out from the pain. My wrists ache from their strain against the invisible binds as I try to cradle my nose. My face and body throb with anguish as I try to calm myself down. I know I'm going to die down here; it's just a matter of when. I can't even remember how I got here; let alone how LONG I've been here.

The blood from my nose dribbles past my lips and my mouth fills with the metallic taste of the thick fluid. The man grimaces. "Look at the mess you've made… You should-"

I cut him off. "Shut the fuc-"

He roughly stomps on my face again, a fresh heat spreading across my face as new blood runs from my nose. I can feel blood running down the back of my throat and I swallow heavily. The pain ripples through my face as soon as his shoe comes in contact with my nose. I clench my teeth again and squeeze my eyes shut. I refuse to give this guy the satisfaction of hearing my pain.

He sighs loudly. "It is rude to interrupt someone when they are talking! Now, let's try this one last time…" He points his crooked wand at me and yells "IMPERIO!"

Suddenly my world clouds over and becomes murky and all I can think about is killing Ariana Brighton.

**I know I just posted chapter 20, but I was really excited to post this one. It's rather morbid, but it gives you a clear image of who has Logan and what his plans are for him.**

**I hope yall enjoyed the chapter! Let me know your thoughts about it!**

**P.S. Andromeda was inspired by Bellatrix LeStrange. I wanted a crazy character like her in here. Let me know if you think I should keep her or not! :)**

**Thanks yall!**

**-Tx :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 22**

**Landen's POV**

"LANDEN!"

My eyes flit open at the shrill call of my name. "What Ariana?"

She is breathing heavily looking at me through narrowed eyes. "I'M. NOT. DOING. THIS. **FOR. **YOU! Now stop sleeping and actually do the work!"

I give her a dramatic stretch and look into the cauldron. The potion is bubbling and emitting a silvery steam.

I sigh and look at her. She is looking at me expectantly, her bright green eyes waiting for me to do something. I sit still, transfixed by the bright eyes that visit my dreams every night. _Those eyes…_

Her expression softens and she hands me the next ingredient. "You need to add this next."

I accept the ingredient with a gracious "Thank you." I drop the ingredient into the cauldron; it lands in the cooking potion with a plop.

She gives me a sideways smile and sighs. "Now we have to wait two hours. I hope you don't have any plans."

I sigh dramatically. "You woke me up so I could drop in one ingredient? Why couldn't you have just done that and let me sleep?"

She shakes her head vigorously. "Because I'm not doing the potion for you. I'm just here to guide you! If you ever want to pass this class you're going to need to do the potion yourself."

I nod. "Who knew bloody potions could be so hard?"

She shakes her head and lets a laugh escape her lips. "It's not! If you didn't sleep all the time you wouldn't be failing!"

I smirk and immediately regret it. I'm supposed to be incognito; I can't let this girl blow my cover! If anyone could get me to blow my cover, it's her…

Although we are alone…

Ariana is finally comfortable and cordial enough to be in the room alone with me so Slughorn has stopped showing up to watch us.

…_No. I can't risk it… I already almost blew it once before, and my dad is relying on me too much for me to blow it now…_

I prop my feet up onto the desk and lean back. "I'm going to sleep for two hours. Wake me when the potion is ready."

She rolls her eyes. "Okay slacker." She pulls her long blonde hair around to one side of her neck and props her chin up on her fist. She is staring intently at the book in front of her, her lips slightly mouthing the words she reads.

I sigh internally and wonder when exactly I fell in love with her.

**Ari's POV**

I look over at Landen, who is sleeping. How could this guy be the same one who tried to kill James with a bludger? Who had shoved me against walls and threatened me? This guy was so nice. Rather sleepy, but really nice. I glance over to the potion and see the wispy red vapors floating from the potion. I reach over and punch Landen in the arm. "Hey sleepy head. The potion is ready."

He slowly opens his grey eyes and grimaces at the cauldron. "It smells putrid."

I chuckle lightly. "It's supposed to. Make sure you bottle up a sample for Slughorn. And don't leave me before we finish cleaning up this time!"

He slowly puts some of the repugnant potion into a vial, labels it, and puts a stopper in it. He walks the vial up to Slughorn's desk and sets it down. He walks back and begins cleaning up. I scoff at him, causing his head to whip around and look at me. "What?"

I shrug. "Oh I don't know. Normally I get some speech about how 'I'm American and cleaning is my job and that cleaning is beneath you.' Just wondering where that went… Not that I'm complaining though!"

He sighs. "Oh… yea." He walks over and drops a bunch of ingredients in my lap. "Get cleaning American, it's your job. I don't clean, it's beneath me. That better?"

I let out a laugh and scoop up the ingredients from my lap. "Prat…" I walk over to the ingredients cabinet and start putting the ingredients away.

He chuckles lightly. "You can't call me a prat if you asked for it!"

I lean around the cabinet and throw a belladonna seed at him with a laugh. It hits him directly in the arm. He looks at me with a shocked expression. I raise my hand to my mouth and look at him with surprise. "I. am. SO sorry!"

Without looking away from me, he picks up the seed and walks over to me. He grabs my lowered hand and places the seed in my palm and smirks. "Just don't let it happen again American."

I laugh and push him away. "I repeat: Prat."

He grins at me and walks back to the potions table.

**James' POV**

I walk into the potions dungeon and see Landen looking at Ariana with a shocked expression and Ariana with her hand over her mouth, Landen's expression a reflection of her own. I hear Ariana say "I. am. SO sorry!"

Landen stares at Ariana intently as he picks something up off the ground and walks over to her. He grabs her hand and places the thing he picked up into her palm. He whispers something to her. She responds by laughing and placing her hand on his chest to push him away. She says something to him and he grins while walking away.

I've seen enough. Who the bloody hell is HE to grin at MY girlfriend anyways? "What's going on?"

Both of their heads snap up and look in my direction. Ariana smiles at me and waves. Landen's grin fades and turns to a grimace. "What are you doing here Potter?"

I sigh and continue to look at Ariana. "Is this what you've been doing for the past two and a half months?"

She smirks and continues to put ingredients away. "Tutoring? Yes, yes it is. By the way, it's nice to see you too."

I grimace at her and look over to Landen. "And who the bloody hell are you to try and get along with her? Acting like you didn't do anything to her? To us?"

Ariana drops the ingredients she's holding and looks at me with a shocked expression. "James, what are you doing here?"

I look at Landen with narrowed eyes. "Leave. NOW!"

He shrugs his shoulders and smirks. "Nah, mate. I think I'll stay. I still have some cleaning to do."

Ariana yells at me through clenched teeth. "JAMES!"

I respond, anger dripping from every word. "What Ariana?"

Her expression softens and she sighs, her voice shaky. "Maybe it's best if you wait for me in the common room…"

I look at her with wide eyes. "You want me to LEAVE?"

She exhales sharply and looks at me firmly, her fists balled up at her sides. "It is probably best if you do…"

"Fine!" I storm to the door of the classroom and swing it open. As I do I hear glass shatter, but I continue out of the dungeon, slamming the door behind me.

**Landen's POV**

James glowers at me. "Leave. NOW!"

I shrug my shoulders with a smirk. "Nah, mate. I think I'll stay. I still have some cleaning to do." Okay so the cleaning is just an excuse to see how this all turns out. I've seen Ariana angry before, I've even been on the receiving end of it, but I'd never seen her angry with Potter. They were like the perfect couple; they never fought with each other so this was new for me.

Ariana breaks my train of thought by yelling at James. "JAMES!"

He shoots his glare over to her and answers with disdain. "What Ariana?"

I hear her sigh but I continue to watch James. He has multiple emotions playing on his face; it's hard to pinpoint exactly what he's feeling. Ariana's voice is shaky as she responds. "Maybe it's best if you wait for me in the common room…"

His eyes widen in disbelief. "You want me to LEAVE?"

I look over at her and see she has her fists clenched at her sides. She lets out a heavy breath and looks at James with unwavering resolve. "It's probably best if you do…"

Anger floods his face as he yells "Fine!" He turns around and stomps out of the classroom, slamming the door as he leaves.

Ariana sighs heavily then looks at the glass bottle in her hand. She turns and, using her chaser skills, throws the bottle against the stone wall with a grunt. The container shatters upon impact with the wall, glass shards flying everywhere. She leans back against the ingredients cupboard and slides down until she is sitting on the floor next to the broken and scattered ingredients she dropped earlier. She buries her face in her hands and groans.

I finish cleaning the table and walk over to where she is sitting. I wave my wand and mend the broken glasses and clean up the spilled ingredients. Once everything's been cleaned I take a seat next to her. "Hey American, are you okay?"

She sighs and nods. "I'm really sorry he was such a git to you. He's never been like that before…"

I shrug my shoulders and scoff. "Potter's a prat. I'm used to it."

She looks up at me with a tear stained face. "He IS NOT! He was in rare form…"

I hold up my hands defensively and smirk. "Okay, okay. Sorry. I won't talk about your pratty boyfriend like that. Are YOU sure you're okay though?"

She rakes her hands across her cheeks and laughs. "Just peachy."

I stand up and smirk. "Good, then get your ass up American. This place isn't going to clean itself."

She rolls her eyes and gets up. "Prat."

I watch her get up and can't help but think about how badly I want to tell apologize to her and tell her who I am. _But I can't…_

**Ari's POV**

I finish cleaning my mess in the potions classroom and head back to the common room. I am almost at the portrait when Bella comes running to me. She has tear filled eyes and a black envelope in her hand.

She throws the letter at me and screams "THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" I instantly launch into a flashback of when my mother died and my father was accusing me.

"_NO ARIANA! WE DON'T NEED HELP, SHE'S FINE!" he shouts angrily. He points his finger at me and sourly says "This is YOUR FAULT! YOU KILLED HER! YOU STUPID CHILD! YOU'VE TAKEN AWAY THE ONE THING I LOVED!"_

I blink away the memory and shake my head. "Bells-"

She cuts me off. "DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT! THEY TOOK FREDDIE AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

She runs away from me sobbing, bumping me with her shoulder as she does. I reach down and pick up the black envelope carefully. I delicately pull out the letter and read it thoroughly.

_Bella Cattertome,_

_Now we have Freddie… Two out of three… Better hope Ariana listens to the next letter…_

**I know I've been updating a lot this week, but I finally really know how I want this story to end.**

**I would LOVE to know your thoughts about this chapter! I threw in a bit of a twist so I would love to know what you thought about it! :)**

**Thanks yall!**

**-Tx :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 23**

**Ari's POV**

I ignore the pain in my chest and sprint to Gryffindor tower and, after many profane attempts, I say the password and launch into the common room. I find James pouting on the couch. I walk in front of him and hold up the envelope. "Did you know about this?"

He glowers at me. I sit down next to him and hold the envelope up again. "James, I don't care if you're bloody upset with me! We can talk about that later! For now I want to know if you bloody knew that Freddie is missing?" I can feel myself tearing up so I look away and blink back the tears.

He continues ignoring me so I jump off the couch angrily. "Damn it James! Screw you!" I stomp over to a desk and hostilely pull out the chair and throw myself down into the seat. I pull out the letter and lay it on the desk. I read it over again twice. I place my head in my hands and let out a groan. _How could this have happened?_

I hear James get up from the couch and walk over to me with a sigh. He sits on the edge of the desk and nudges me. "I knew…"

I look up at him with frustration. "Why didn't you tell me?"

His eyes light up with anger at the question. "I TRIED!"

I rise from the chair and throw my hands in the air. "When James?"

He laughs icily and looks at me through narrow eyes. "Back in the potions classroom. You kicked me out before I could though."

I scoff loudly. "That's because you were being and asshole to Landen! It was completely unprovoked! You just came in, throwing around accusations of **MERLIN KNOWS WHAT** without **ANY** knowledge of** WHAT** you were talking about!"

"Look, I thought-"

I raise up my hand and cut him off. "I KNOW what you _thought_ and I'm offended by it! You honestly think I was cheating on you with LANDEN? Did you switch brains with Monroe or something? I promise I'm not a cheating slut! But if YOU can't see that then-"

He places his hand over my mouth and sighs. "I know… I'm sorry… Truly and honestly. I just saw the way he was looking at you and it made me jealous."

I pull his hand down and laugh sarcastically. "He was looking at me the same way he always does. Like I'm trash. American trash! You were jealous of that? You have a weird way of showing affection James Potter."

He sighs and looks at the letter on the desk. "What do they mean 'Better hope Ariana listens to the next letter…'? Have you received any letters?"

I shake my head. "I'm going to go check my room though. Maybe I DID get some and they just got lost in there somewhere."

He nods and motions to the stairs. I walk to the stairs and make my way up to my room. I push open the door and find the room empty. I walk over to my bed and strip it clean without finding any envelopes. I get down on the floor and look under my bed.

Nothing.

I look around under Bella and Rachelle's bed but I don't see anything there either. I crawl over to Astoria's bed and look. I see two dark shapes on the wood under her bed so I reach out and grab them. I pull them out and huff. They are two black envelopes addressed to me. I open the first one and read it.

_Ariana,_

_If you ever want Rachelle to see her boyfriend again, you must meet us in the wizard graveyard at eleven sharp. Come alone._

I sigh and place that one back into its envelope. I open the next envelope and read it warily.

_Ariana,_

_Obviously you're a bit dense. If you want Logan back then you will show up in the wizard graveyard alone at eleven sharp. If you don't show, we will take someone else._

I place this letter back into its envelope and get up from the floor. I run back down the stairs, taking them two at a time, and hand the envelopes to James. He reads over them quickly and looks at me with shock. "I thought you didn't get these…"

I shake my head and place my hand on my forehead. "I didn't. I found them under Tori's bed… Maybe they blew under there somehow?"

This time it's his turn to shake his head. "These are pretty thick… They don't just blow around willy nilly…"

I shrug my shoulders and sigh. "Well I don't know then."

James reciprocates my sigh. "Me either…"

**Landen's POV**

I walk away from the potions classroom and head toward the slytherine common room.

I can't wait until I can go to my real house common room, this being undercover thing is rough. Having to act in front of the slytherines is getting tiring. _Speaking of tiring slytherines…_

I see Arowena walking briskly toward me. "It's time…"

I nod and continue toward the slytherine common room. She turns around and aggressively asks "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I have to get something. I will be there in a bit!" I run into the common room and quickly send my father a patronus message about the fact that it's starting and then run back to the hall. I quickly make my way to the prefect bathroom. I walk into the tunnel and emerge from the other side with a small gasp. There are four people standing in the middle of the graveyard. Two are talking to each other while the other two are on their knees on either side of the talking figures.

I crouch down behind a headstone as the fog begins to roll in. Suddenly one of the figures turns away and runs into the tunnel. I look at the tunnel with wide eyes as I realize who just ran by. How had I not been informed that _she _was working for him? I wonder what he has on her to get her to work for him…

_I guess I'll have to wait and see…_

**Ari's POV**

"James, I have to go look for him." I walk over to the portrait hole and exit the common room. As soon as I get into the corridor I run directly into Astoria. "I'm so sorry Tori! Are you al-"

She cuts me off as she pulls me up from the ground. "Ari I found Freddie and Logan!"

I clasp my hand over my mouth and smile. "I need to tell James!"

I turn to go back into the common room but she grips my arm. "No time! Let's go!"

I pull against her grip. "It will only take a few seconds Tori."

"NO! WE NEED TO GO NOW!" She yanks aggressively on my arm and pulls me down the dark corridor.

**Al's POV**

I had been walking to meet with James at Gryffindor tower when I heard it.

A few moments ago, Bella found me and told me that James had something urgent to tell me and to meet up with him at Gryffindor tower. So that's where I was headed.

As I get closer I hear Astoria and Ariana talking. I get closer and hide behind the corner of a corridor. _Ariana is such a bad influence…_ I chuckle at the thought then hear Ariana yelling out "Tori where are Freddie and Logan?"

I look down the hall after them and see them running away. Well, more Astoria running away while she pulls Ariana along behind her. They turn down another corridor and I sprint to follow them. Astoria stops them outside the prefect bathroom and says "Boom berry."

The statue opens and Astoria pulls Ariana into the bathroom. I turn around and run back to Gryffindor tower. I silently thank Bella for telling me the password to get into their common room as I stand in front of the portrait. I hurriedly say "Dragon fang."

The portrait looks me up and down and sighs. "You're not from Gryffindor…"

I roll my eyes and bounce slightly. "No shit. Let me in now!"

She scoffs and swings open, revealing the crimson couches. I run in and find James sitting at the desk with two black envelopes in his hand. He is staring at them intently. I walk over and grab the envelopes from him. His head snaps up and gives me a dirty look. "What was that for?"

I set the envelopes down and take a deep breath. "We have more pressing issues right now. Ariana and Astoria just ran into the prefect bathroom. Astoria told Ariana that she knows where Freddie and Logan are… Fred is missing?"

His face drops at the news. He quickly recovers and grabs my arm. "Let's go!"

He pulls me out of the common room and we run down the corridor toward the prefect bathroom. We hear someone calling after us and turn around. Bella and Rachelle are sprinting down the hall after us. Once they get to us Bella says between breaths "Astoria… found… them…"

Rachelle, who is doubled over, straightens out and takes a deep breath. "We overheard her talking to Ariana. Do you know where they went?"

James nods and motion for them to follow us. "Yea, come with us."

They nod and we continue to the prefect bathroom. I step in front of the statue and say the password and, as it opens I turn to James. "What's going on?"

He shakes his head. "We don't have time." He runs into the bathroom and goes directly to a closed stall. He pulls out his wand and waves it at the lock.

I clear my throat and look around awkwardly. "Um James? I'm pretty sure locked means someone's in there."

The lock clicks and he pushes the door open, revealing a large hole. He walks in and lights up his wand. "Come on."

We all follow suit and walk down the tunnel silently. James leads out through an opening on the other side of the tunnel. We walk out and look around. I can hear Rachelle and Bella gasp as they take in their surroundings. "Are we in… a cemetery?"

James turns around and puts a finger to his lips. We all quiet down and he points to something in the middle of the cemetery. I can see the worry on James' face so I turn and look at what he's pointing at.

Standing in the middle of the cemetery are five figures, two on one side and three on the other. Fog rolls around the cemetery as we watch and wait for what will happen next.

**Astoria's POV**

It had been hard to lie to everyone this year and it had been especially hard to lie to Ariana and James that night they had caught me in the prefect bathroom. They had no idea how hard Carter's death had been on me. The Dark Lord had given me a way out; he had promised to bring Carter back if I just bring him Ariana.

I know trading Ariana for Carter seems wrong, but I had loved Carter and his death was all Ariana's fault…

I walk out of the prefect bathroom and make my way down the corridor that leads to Gryffindor tower. Lord Caledon had given me one task: get Ariana to the cemetery.

Of course, I had to make this task easier so I had hidden Lord Caledon's negotiation letters for her. She is tougher when she has her friends around, so I figure if her friends think their missing boyfriends are her fault then they will abandon her.

I chuckle darkly at the thought. I am just by the portrait when someone runs into me. I hear "I'm so sorry Tori! Are you al-"

I cut her off and pull her up from the ground. "Ari, I found Freddie and Logan!"

She places her hand over her mouth and says, "I need to tell James!"

She tries to turn and go back into the common room but I grip her arm tightly. "No time! Let's go!"

She tries to pull against my grip but I don't budge. "It will only take a few seconds Tori."

"NO! WE NEED TO GO NOW!" I jerk aggressively at her arm and pull her down the dark corridor ahead.

We are almost down the corridor when she yells "Tori where are Freddie and Logan?"

I ignore her question and pull her to the prefect bathroom. I step in front of the statue and say "Boom berry".

The statue moves to the side and I tug her into the bathroom behind me and into the tunnel that leads to the cemetery. Once we get into the tunnel Ariana speaks again. "Why are they in the cemetery?"

Once again, I ignore her question and continue on. We emerge from the tunnel into the foggy cemetery. I grab her arm again and drag her toward the center of the cemetery. I know Lord Caledon will be waiting there.

Once we get to the center I hear him say "Very good Astoria."

I yell out "We had a deal! Where's Carter?"

Ariana looks at me like I'm mental. "Tori… Carter is… dead. Remember?"

I shoot her a glare and grimace. "No thanks to you!" I abandon her and walk ahead. I hear him say "He's just ahead of you dear girl."

I smile and look ahead. I have imagined this moment since I made the deal with Lord Caledon at the beginning of the year.

I see a shape ahead of me and I run to it, only to stop short when I realize it's not Carter. It IS someone who LOOKS like Carter, but he has differences. His hair is falling out in places and he is slumped over in an awkward way. His skin is pallid and his eyes are fierce.

I look around nervously and involuntarily shiver. "Lord Caledon, this isn't Carter!"

I can hear him chuckling as he walks over. "Didn't I mention that I cannot revive the dead? And I have no further use for you." He looks at the gruesome figure in front of me and waves his hand casually. "Dispose of her…" He turns and calmly walks away.

The creature lunges at me, claws drawn and teeth bared. I can feel something sharp clamp around my neck. I try to scream but all that comes out is a gurgling sound. The figure who looks like Carter brings his head up with blood dripping from his mouth and grins evilly. He brings his sharp nails down and they collide with my face, drawing fresh blood. I try to kick him off of me but he is too heavy. I can feel myself getting weaker as I lose more blood.

Suddenly he is shot back off of me. I can see Ariana above me. "Ariana… I'm so…"

She looks down at me with a sympathetic smile. "I know."

**Alright yall! We're getting close to the end! Only a few chapters left!**

**I would absolutely LOVE to hear what you thought about this chapter, so leave me a review and let me know! :)**

**Thanks yall!**

**-Tx**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 24**

**Ari's POV**

Astoria drags me through the stall in the prefect bathroom and into the tunnel. I look ahead with confusion. "Why would Freddie and Logan be in the cemetery?"

She ignores my question and continues to pull me into the fog covered cemetery. She continues further in and I follow close behind. I pull out my wand, just in case I need it, and look around. I hear "Very good Astoria." _I know that voice…_

She looks around and yells "We had a deal! Where's Carter?"

I look at her with worry. "Tori… Carter is… dead. Remember?"

She turns and glares at me and says with a bitter tone "No thanks to you!" She turns and walks away from me. I shake my head and continue to look around for Freddie and Logan, although I don't think Astoria has been telling me the whole truth. I stop suddenly when I hear someone approaching from behind me. They grab my arm and I spin around quickly, swinging a fist as I do.

The person ducks under the punch while muttering profanities. "Ariana, I you need to get down." He pulls me down behind a headstone.

"James! I almost hit you! I'm so sorry!" I can hear Al snickering and I shoot him a smile. "Guys, Tori is lost in here somewhere. We need to find her… She was talking about Carter."

Bella crawls up and glowers at me. I give her a sympathetic smile and say "Bells I'm-"

She holds her hand up and cuts me off. "Save it. I'm over it. Now let's find Freddie."

I smile and stand up. "I'm going to find Tori first."

James and Al jump up and simultaneously say "I'm going with."

I shrug my shoulders and say "If you want to…"

I walk ahead and hear small noises around us. It sounds as if someone is following us… I turn in the direction of the noise but can't see anything through the dense fog. I hear the noises again and turn in the other direction, and once again I don't see anything. I lean over to the guys and whisper "Do you hear that?"

James shrugs. "I don't hear anything…"

Al reciprocates James' action and shrugs. 'Me either Ari…"

I nod my head and continue walking. I continue to hear the noises as we walk, which frustrates me more and more. After hearing the noises for a bit more I lose it.

"ENOUGH!" I wave my wand in a large circle dramatically, which causes a large burst of air to circle around us and clear the fog. I look ahead of me and see an Inferius in front of Astoria and Caledon standing to her side. I gasp and point ahead.

Suddenly I hear a chuckle to my right. I point my wand in the direction and see Landen at the other end. "Landen? What the hell are you doing here?"

He just chuckles again. "You are very astute American. I like to consider myself pretty stealthy but you heard me right away. By the way, you should probably go help her. You and I both know she betrayed your friendship by bringing you here into this trap, but you won't let her die. You're too good for that."

James points his wand at him now. "Don't pretend like you know her… Why are you following us?"

"Not 'us', just her; to protect her." He says with a shrug.

I see the Inferius jump on Astoria and sink his sharp teeth into her jugular. I gasp again and sprint over to her. I hit the Inferius in the head with Reducto, which shoots him back. I stand by her head and hear her lightly say "Ariana… I'm so…"

I look down at her trying to apologize and give her a sympathetic smile. "I know."

Suddenly a spell flies past my head. I turn around and see Caledon standing in front of me with a sneer. "Stupid girl. Your need to save everyone will be your downfall!"

I flip him off and shoot a spell at him, barely missing him. His sneer drops and turns to a mix of disbelief and disgust. "You DARE fire at me?"

I narrow my eyes and smirk. "Oh, I dare."

His sneer returns and at that moment Logan and Freddie come out from behind him. I suck in a breath of air as I see them. Instead of seeing the cheerful blokes I know and love, I see two people who have hatred written on their faces. They both are covered in cuts and bruises and their eyes are glazed over and milky.

Suddenly I have James, Al, Rachelle and Bella by my side. The atmosphere becomes increasingly tense. Logan breaks the tension and shoots the first spell. I block it with ease.

Caledon backs away and I step forward to pursue him. Logan and Freddie step to the side and block my path. A spell shoots out from either side of me and knocks them both back. I hear James yell "Ariana GO!"

I take off in a sprint after Caledon. I shoot a spell at him but he turns before it can hit him. "What's this? Running away? I didn't take the new 'Dark Lord' to be a coward!"

He turns around with hatred and anger showing on his face and zooms at me. He wraps his hand around my throat and slams me back against a wall, knocking the wind out of me. He gets extremely close to my face and hisses "I could kill you with one wave of my wand; you'll do well to remember that."

I manage to regain some breath so I choke out "Then why don't you asshole?"

He tightens his grip and sneers. "Tsk Tsk. No need to be impatient. I will kill you soon enough, but it's not your time to die yet."

I can hear someone calling my name but my world is getting hazy due to the lack of oxygen. I manage to sneer and say "Bummer…" before a spell comes shooting at him. He dodges it and releases my throat. I fall to the ground with a resounding thud. Caledon looks in the direction of where the spell came from and glares. Then he turns into a black stream and flies away.

**Landen's POV**

I am watching the battle unfold in front of me in disbelief. Bella and Al are fighting with Freddie while James and Rachelle are fighting Logan. Spells are flying everywhere as the six battle ferociously. Everything seems to be going fine until Logan hits James with a spell that knocks him backward into a headstone. He hits the ground in a slump as his unconscious body falls down.

Bella sees James and leaves her battle with Fred to tend to him, which leaves Al fighting his cousin alone.

I turn and look for Ariana, who is pinned against the Angel of Death statue. Caledon is holding her there by her throat and he is eerily close to her face. I can see her starting to fade so I shoot a spell at him. It misses him but it serves its purpose. He releases Ariana and turns to me with a glare. I smirk at him and flip him off. I twirl my wand again and shoot another spell. It misses him again but he still flies away.

I almost forget about Ariana on the ground until I hear her writhing around on the ground as she tries to regain her breath. How could I have forgotten about her? "Shit…"

I sprint over and kneel down next to her. I grab her shoulders and flip her over. "Ariana? Are you alright?"

She grins. "Just peachy… Thanks."

**Ari's POV**

Landen helps me up from the ground and I rub my throat gingerly. _Shit… It's going to bruise…_

I look over to Landen and see him looking toward the back of the cemetery. I follow his gaze and see Rachelle fighting Logan, James collapsed against a headstone with Bella tending to him and Al fighting with Freddie.

Rachelle's never been much of a fighter so I don't know how she's holding up… _And against her boyfriend… I don't know how she can do it…_

As the thought crosses my mind, Logan shoots a spell that hits her in the chest, the green sparks that shoot out of his wand all too familiar. I feel as though the wind is knocked out of me as I watch her lifeless body fall to the ground. Bella jumps up and brandishes her wand. She shoots a spell at him and begins fighting with him.

I will my legs to move and I sprint to them, although I feel as though I moving in slow motion. I grip my wand tightly and hurdle over headstones and dug up graves. I literally can't hear anything except my heartbeat as I run to them. I point my wand at him and yell "STUPEFY!"

He collapses to the ground and Bella lowers her wand. She flashes me a quick, thankful smile and sighs. I'm just a few feet away from her when suddenly, out of nowhere, Arowena runs through the cemetery. She points her wand at Bella and says "Avada Kedavra!" Green sparks fly from her wand and hit Bella full on. Her smile fades and her body crumples to the ground. I can hear someone screaming pain filled screams, but I can't figure out who it is. I look around to find out and realize the screams are coming from me.

Arowena then turns to Logan and says "Avada Kedavra!" His already limp body twitches ever so slightly but remains unchanging other than that. She turns to me with a smirk then skips away. I raise my wand and scream at the top of my lungs "SECTUMSEMPRA!" The spell skims her arm and cuts her, but doesn't do any other damage. She smirks at me again and continues to skip away.

I try to run after her but someone grabs me by the waist and holds me back. I strain against the person's arms and scream again. "NO! YOU BITCH!" My screams turn to small sobs as I look over to Freddie and Al. Freddie twirls his wand and hits Al with a spell and he collapses to the ground in a heap.

I feel the wind leave my lungs as I try to fight against the person who's holding me. Hot tears flow quickly and freely down my face as the last of my friends dies. I scream out again as if that's going to change the events that just took place. "AL! NO PLEASE!"

I see a spell shoot past us and hit Freddie in the chest. He crumples to the ground and a bunch of people run past us to my dead friends. I see Harry in the group of people who are checking the kids and that brings on a whole new wave of emotions. His two sons are dead because of me. My throat is killing me, but it doesn't stop me from yelling out. "I'M SO SORRY! THIS IS ALL MY FAULT! I'M SO SORRY!"

The person holding me pulls me to the ground and wraps me in a tight hug. I bury my face in their chest and sob openly against their shirt.

**Landen's POV**

"I'M SO SORRY! THIS IS ALL MY FAULT! I'M SO SORRY!"

The sound of her screams and cries are so pitiful that it wounds me to hear it. I take my hands from her waist and pull her to the ground. I wrap my arms around her and grip her in a tight hug. She buries her face in my chest and sobs loud, pained sobs. I rub circles on her back and try to fight back tears of my own. I press my lips to her head and tell her "It's going to be okay." I repeat this over and over, more trying to convince myself than her. I want to take her pain away but I have no idea how.

My dad walks over and puts his hand on my head. "You did well son."

I shake my head. "No, I didn't. If I had, nobody would be dead…"

He sighs and shakes his head. "You did fine. It was us who messed up. If we had been here sooner-"

I cut him off. "I'm going to take her to the hospital wing."

I carefully scoop Ariana up and walk out of the cemetery. I lean my head down and sigh. "I'm so sorry Ariana."

She wraps her arms around my neck and buries her face against my shoulder. We don't talk the entire way to the hospital wing. I'm not even sure if she knows that it's ME carrying her there. The only sounds that are heard are her sniffles, other than that I remain silent; lost in thought.

I get to the hospital wing and show Madam Pomfrey the girl in my arms and she understands. She gestures for me to follow her and then points to a bed. "Put her here. I will take a look at her in a moment."

I set her down and sigh again. She curls up onto her side and curls up into a ball. I give her hand a squeeze and walk out. I get just outside the door and realize I don't want to deal with everything back at the cemetery so I walk back into the hospital wing and take a seat by Ariana's bed. I lean my head back against the wall and close my eyes and I slowly drift off to sleep.

**This is the second to last chapter and super depressing! Not even kidding! But it will get better... well kind of better, I promise!**

**As always, I would love to hear you thoughts about the chapter.**

**Love yall! :)**

**-Tx**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own the plot for this story and some of the characters.**

**Just a heads up, this story is rated T for some foul language.**

**Chapter 25**

**Ari's POV**

I open my eyes and look at the ceiling above me. _I'm still in the hospital wing… I've been here for two days… And everyone's dead…_

I turn onto my side and see Landen sleeping in the chair next to me. I reach over and smack him in the leg. He jerks awake and looks at me. "Oh good. You're awake. And you're not crying anymore…"

I give him a half-hearted smirk. "Why are you always asleep?" I bring my hand up to my throat and widen my eyes. My voice was extremely raspy; it didn't even sound like my voice.

He shakes his head and chuckles. "I'm a sleepy boy."

I crinkle my nose. "Why are you being so nice? What happened to the slytherine asshole I used to tutor?" My throat begins to sting as I talk so I let out a cough.

Landen holds up his hand and smirks. "We can discuss that later. For now, I want to show you something. Come with me. And NO TALKING… I know it will be hard for you, but it's Madam Pomfrey's rule, not mine. Now let's go." He extends his hand and I take it warily. He helps me off the bed and leads me through the curtain around my bed. He points me toward the bed next to me and grins. "When you're done here, come find me. We have things to discuss."

I turn around and give him a confused look, but he just crosses his arms and nods to the bed in front of me. I slowly make my way up to the top of the bed, scared of what I might find. The blanket is pulled up over the top of the bed so I slowly peel back the covers. The covers come down and slowly reveal brown hair, then hazel eyes then a large smile.

It takes me a moment to register whose face I'm looking at, but as soon as I do I let out a shriek and launch myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. "AL! Are you bloody kidding me?"

He laughs and hugs me. "Not kidding!"

I can feel myself starting to tear up so I sit up and punch him in the chest. "Asshole! What the hell happened?" My throat starts stinging again and I can't help but cough.

Al raises his eyebrow and slowly says "I'm not really sure… I remember fighting with Fred and then I woke up yesterday and I was here. Madam Pomfrey says I was stupefied. Now, I KNOW you're not supposed to be talking so we can talk about this later. You should get back to bed."

I look around. "Is James…"

Al looks at Landen and warily says "Yes… But I don't think you want to-"

I cut him off. "Where is he?"

Landen grabs my arm and sighs. "Ariana, I REALLY don't think you should see him right now…"

I sigh and look at him. "Please?"

He shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. "It's a REALLY bad idea…"

Then I hear him. "Is someone calling me?"

"James?" I walk toward the voice and peer through the curtain surrounding his bed.

He looks at me with a confused look on his face. "Hey gorgeous. Do I know you?"

I raise an eyebrow and laugh. "You're joking, right?"

Landen walks over and grabs my arm. "Come on Ariana…"

James looks at Landen with a disappointed expression. "Is this your boyfriend, gorgeous?"

I look from Landen, whose face looks almost pained, to James who is looking at me like he's never seen me before. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Landen shakes his head solemnly. "Ariana, we really have some things to talk about… Please…"

I nod slowly and back away from his bed. I can hear James call out to me as I leave. "Come visit whenever you'd like sweetheart!"

I look at Landen and he looks at me sympathetically. "He, um… he hit his head pretty hard back in the cemetery…"

I shrug. "So?" We walk back over to Al's bed and sit down.

He sighs and rubs the back of his neck. "Al, you tell her. I can't do it."

Al looks at Landen and groans. "Thanks for that. Um, Ari… He has amnesia. He can't remember anything from the cemetery and he can't remember last year at all. Which means he doesn't remember meeting you... He doesn't remember that you two are dating… He thinks he's going out with Monroe again…"

I open and close my mouth multiple times before I stand up and finally say "Oh… Okay. Well maybe that's for the best…" I can feel more tears forming so I look around and change the subject. "How's Freddie?"

Al looks at me with a smile. "He's fine. He's at St. Mungo's now."

I nod. "And did anyone else…"

He shakes his head solemnly. "No. Nobody else…"

I look at the blanket. "Oh… I'm uh… I'm going to take a walk." I walk over to Al and give him a peck on the cheek. "I'm glad you're not dead little brother."

He looks at me with a smirk and I turn and walk out of the hospital wing, grabbing my wand before I leave. I only make it just outside the door before I break down. I put my wand behind my ear and brace myself against the wall with my hands. My breathing quickens and my throat closes up. My vision goes hazy and the world starts spinning. My hand slowly drops from the wall. I can slowly feel myself slipping from sanity and control so close my eyes and slowly go over what I know. It's a trick I learned after my mother died.

_My name is Ariana Elizabeth Brighton._

_I am sixteen years old._

_I live with Harry and Ginny Potter._

_They have two sons and a daughter._

_I attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_I am in Gryffindor._

My breathing slows and my throat opens more so I continue.

_I am a Gryffindor prefect._

_My mother is dead._

_My father is dead._

_Carter is dead._

_Astoria is dead._

_Logan is dead._

_Rachelle is dead._

_Bella is dead._

_Caledon is trying to kill me._

_My boyfriend doesn't remember who I am._

I slam my back into the wall and grunt loudly, evoking a coughing fit. I slide down the wall and place my face in my hands. How could things have fallen apart do fast? Someone slides down next to me and sighs. "Are you okay?"

I look up and laugh cynically. "Well, Landen, let's recap. My three roommates and best friends are dead and the guy I was dating doesn't even remember me. Instead he thinks he's going out with the girl I absolutely can't stand who finds joy in harassing me. I'm absolutely lovely."

He sighs again. "I know, and I'm really sorry…"

"Why do you keep apologizing? Seriously, what happened to the asshole I tutored?" I cough again and take a deep breath.

He smirks. "I will tell you on one condition. You have to be silent during the entire story."

I open my mouth to respond but he holds up his hand. I chuckle and nod my agreement instead. I could definitely use a good distraction right now, and his story sounds like the perfect kind.

He clears his throat dramatically and begins. "So I'm actually supposed to be in Gryffindor house, but I was working 'undercover' in the slytherine house for my father. He is an Auror who works for Mr. Potter. Harry was telling my father about what happened to you and to his kids and to my cousin last year. I mean, Carter sent me letters about you all the time but I had no idea how close you two were until I heard Harry talking about it." He pauses his story and looks at me. "Thank you for giving him a proper burial by the way."

My mouth drops open as the realization hits. "Carter was-"

He holds up his hand and smirks. "We had a deal. Now, where was I? Oh yes. Well my father decided that the ministry needed a spy, someone on the inside. So, he recommended me since I was already 'undercover' at my uncle's house. I agreed right away of course. I wanted to do what I could to bring this Caledon guy down. Plus I wanted to meet the girl who was good enough to bury my cousin properly. Anyways, I ended up having to go to the ministry to be instructed on what I had to do. They told me I would be in slytherine house as a prefect so that I could be out past curfew. They had a tip that Caledon was looking for some secret passage hidden in Hogwarts."

He nudges me with his shoulder. "That first night you actually caught me looking for the instructions. Obviously you found and translated the runes too since you knew about the cemetery… I was supposed to keep my father informed about everything that happened too. Did I mention that I met your father before he… died? You two have the same determination about you."

I look at the ground and sigh. _He met my father?_

"Oh! And I do want to apologize for how awful I was to you, but I did have an image to keep up. I even sort of feel bad about hitting Potter with that bludger. Anyways, I think I'm done so you can talk now."

I continue to look at the ground as I clear my throat. _Bad idea… That burned… _"When did you meet my father?"

He looks up as if trying to remember and says "I think I was about eight or nine. He came here for a year to do some business and he ended up working with my father a lot."

_He obviously didn't know the real Jonathan Brighton…_

I nod and look at him thoroughly. He doesn't look anything like Carter… But I guess that's because they are cousins, not brothers. But still… "Everyone knows I was great friends with Carter. How do I know you're not making up the fact that he was your cousin?"

He chuckles and nods approvingly. "I can understand your apprehension but let me prove it… Carter was disowned because he refused to turn you over to Caledon. I overheard his father talking to his mother about it."

I tap my chin thoughtfully. "Wait… If your father is an Auror, then why did Carter say that he didn't have anywhere to go and that his whole family was full of Death Eaters?"

"Because he was under the impression my father was dead. My father faked his own death so that I could move into the Cass household and spy on them without many questions being raised."

I roll my eyes and laugh. "Oh, okay that makes total sense. By the way, why did you say you were in the cemetery to protect me? Why does everyone think I need protecting?"

He shakes his head and laughs. "I had a bit of a personal goal to make sure you stayed safe. Just in return for looking out for my cousin."

"Wait, so did you REALLY need my help in potions or was that just to keep an eye on me?"

He laughs again and rubs the back of his neck. "I, uh… no. I really am absolutely rubbish at potions. So yes I did, and still DO, need your help in potions."

I look at him with a smirk. "I don't believe you."

His mouth falls open and he laughs. "It's true!"

I chuckle and hold up my hands defensively. "Okay okay! You're terrible at potions! Happy?"

He nods triumphantly. "Yes, very."

I look down the corridor to the students walking around. "What are you going to do next year? Are you going to stay in Slytherine?"

"Not at all! I think I'm going to get moved back to Gryffindor but I don't know about anything after that." He says with a shrug. He stands up and extends his hand out to me. "We should get going. We DO still have a week left of school which means we still have a week of classes."

I take his hand and let him help me up. "Okay." We walk down the corridor and go to class as if nothing has happened.

(Break)

The final week of school was brutal. My room was empty and it felt wrong to be there without my roommates. I didn't sleep at all the first two nights; I just sat in the middle of the room and looked at their beds.

Classes were awkward. There were constantly people whispering and staring at me, it was unnerving. I even yelled at a few first years who were whispering and pointing at me. Nobody dared talk to me either. When I got close to them their eyes would get wide and they would quickly walk away. The only people who even tried to interact with me were Al and Landen.

When Friday came along, I was more than excited to head back to the Potter's place. I grabbed my things and met up with Al. We slowly make our way to the back of the train and find an empty compartment. We take a seat and wait for the train to leave the station. I am staring out the window, thinking about Carter, when there is a knock on our compartment door. Al and I turn and look who is knocking then I turn and look back out the window. James and Monroe are standing at the entrance to our compartment holding hands. The sight of them together makes me sick! So I turn and look back out the window.

I hear Monroe giggle loudly and James say "Hey Al, can we sit with you and your girlfriend?"

Al scoffs and says "Yes, YOU can sit with me and my FRIEND. But Monroe has to go."

I smirk at the trees outside. Al is lovely and I'm definitely going to have to thank him for that later.

James laughs and I hear him sit in the seat across from me and Al. Monroe laughs an icy laugh and says "Oh Al, you're so funny. You'll learn to love me."

I hear Al mutter under his breath "Doubt it. You're bloody mental."

I let out a laugh and then slap my hands over my mouth.

Monroe scoffs loudly. "And what are YOU laughing at little slut?"

I stand up and turn to answer her but I'm interrupted by another knock at the compartment door. The door slides open and I hear a recently familiar voice. "May I join you?"

Monroe laughs and shakes her head. "Hell no!"

I flip her off and glare at her. "I'm pretty sure YOU'RE sitting with AL AND ME, which means you're OUR guests. So last time I checked, YOU don't get to dictate who gets to sit here and who doesn't. So why don't you piss off you stupid bitch!"

Monroe's mouth drops open and I smirk at her. I can hear Al snickering behind me as I turn to the entrance of the compartment and smile. "Landen. You are absolutely welcome to join us."

He has a smile on his face as he walks in to put his stuff away. He gets next to me and says with a smirk "And it looks like the spitfire is back."

He sits down by the window and I laugh. I take a seat between Al and Landen as the train begins pulling away from the station. After about an hour of sitting in awkward silence, Monroe looks over to James and sweetly says "We better hang out EVERY DAY this summer!"

James leans over and gives her a kiss. "Every day."

She smiles. "Good." She looks over at me with malice and pulls James into another kiss. He sinks into it and they break into a heavy make out session.

I glower at Monroe and say with as much acidity as possible. "If you're going to snog the shit out of each other, at least do it when you're alone." I can feel tears forming in my eyes at the sight of them.

Monroe flips me off and continues. Landen wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me up. "Come on Ariana. Let's go find someplace else to sit."

We open the door to the compartment and Al jumps up and grabs a book from his bag overhead. "Wait for me! I don't want to see this shit! It's making me queasy!"

We all walk out of the compartment and find another empty one. As soon as we get in Al flops down across one of the seats and opens his book. "I'm going to be reading if you need me. But try not to need me, this book is good."

I wipe the tears off my face and nod with a smirk. "You got it _boyfriend."_

He rolls his eyes and laughs. "That brother of mine is bloody mental…"

I laugh and sit down on the seat next to Landen. He leans against the window and I lean against him. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and rubs my arm. I let out another laugh and say "It's going to be a LONG summer if I have to see her every day…"

Al nods in agreement. "You aren't kidding…"

Landen shrugs. "You can come visit my house whenever you want… You both can."

Al and I both say our thanks and I close my eyes. _James not remembering me is for the best… It's what will keep him safe… Even if he IS with her.__It's what will keep him safe… It's what will keep him safe…_

I can feel my throat constricting and tears working their way down my face so I do what I can to calm myself down.

_My name is Ariana Elizabeth Brighton._

_I am sixteen years old._

_I live with Harry and Ginny Potter._

_They have two sons and a daughter._

_I attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_I am in Gryffindor._

My throat releases and I let out a sigh.

_It's going to be a long summer indeed…_

**Alright yall... That's the end of this story... :( I will post the first chapter of the next story on here once I have it typed up.**

**Now that this story is over I would absolutely love to hear what you thought about it! Your favorite parts, your least favorite parts, your favorite and least favorite character(s), your thoughts about the story in general!**

**I appreciate everyone's support throughout this story! I also appreciate everyone who subscribed to this story and everyone who took the time to review this story!**

**Love yall! :)**

**-Tx**


	26. Chapter 26

**Okay yall! Here's a sneak peek of the next story! I hope you all like it!**

**Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, nor will I ever be. Therefore, I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters... Just wanted to make that clear... haha**

* * *

**Fighting the Fire**

**Chapter 1**

**Ariana's POV**

The sun shines down brightly on us; the sky above is cloudless and blue. The air smells of the forest that surrounds us. The sweat that covers my forehead mats my hair to my face. I rake my hand across my face and wipe the sweat away. The grass folds beneath my shoes as I readjust my stance. I grip my wand tightly and glare at my opponent across from me.

"Colovaria!"

I hold up my wand and say "Protego!" but the spell hits me anyways. I see the light blue color rising up from the tips of my hair and sigh. "Teddy what did I do wrong this time?"

He jogs over and readjusts my hands. "You have to move your hand in front of you more. That way it is able to actually block the spell. Here, watch me." He jogs back and readies himself across from me. "Fire when ready."

I flick my wand and yell "Densaugeo!"

He moves his and in front of him. "Protego!" The spell ricochets away from him and shoots in another direction.

I drop my wand and nod my head. "I see what you mean. Let's try it again."

He chuckles and shakes his head. "Ari, we have been at this for hours. Let's give it a rest and go eat."

I let out a dramatic sigh and roll my eyes. "Fine…"

He laughs and we walk into the vacation house. After I spent the first two weeks of summer vacation moping about, Ginny and Harry decided it was time for a vacation. So now we are staying in a huge log cabin out on some mountain in Italy. We've been up here for almost a month. I even spent my seventeenth birthday up here, which was lovely since it didn't involve Monroe. She's here now though, which is why Teddy and I were practicing defense spells outside.

Teddy walks into the kitchen and starts getting things ready to make us lunch.

Al hears Teddy clanking pots and comes running down the stairs calling for me. He runs into the kitchen and laughs when he sees my hair. "Really Ari? Blue?"

I shrug my shoulders and smirk. "What? I just wanted to match Teddy. What were you yelling about?"

He flashes me a big grin. "I have a present for you upstairs…"

I look at him skeptically. He shakes his head and laughs. "Close your eyes."

"Shit Al! You want me to walk up the stairs with my eyes closed?"

He sighs and taps his chin. "Good point... You wait right here with your eyes closed. I will bring your present down to you." Before I can respond he runs up the stairs and yells down "NO PEEKING!"

I close my eyes and tap my foot on the ground impatiently while I wait for him to come back down. I hear something move in front of me move and I tense up.

Suddenly, off to my left I hear, "Okay open your eyes."

I slowly open my eyes and see large pile of camping gear. I look over at Al and smirk. "That is a LOT of camping gear…"

He rolls his eyes and laughs. "Just grab a pack and go get your stuff. We're going camping tonight and tomorrow!"

I look at him warily. "Who's 'we'?"

"Just you, me, James…"

I narrow my eyes and point at him. "No Monroe, right?"

He shakes his head quickly. "No?"

I grin at him. "Good answer! I'm going to go pack."

(Break)

Al and I slowly make our way through the forest behind the vacation house. He leads us through thick brush and dense trees. The tops of the trees cover the top of the forest completely, forming a canopy over the forest floor. There are birds of all kinds flying around and sitting in the trees above. We veer to the right and come across a small cluster of tents. Al holds out his arm and grins. "We're here."

I drop my tent and count the other tents. If it's just supposed to be me, Al and James then why is there an extra tent here? My question is answered when Freddie walks out of the tree line carrying wood. I let out a shriek and sprint over to him, wrapping him in a big hug. "FREDDIE! When the hell did you get released from St. Mungo's?"

I release him from my hug and he sets the wood down with a laugh. "Yesterday. Al and I have been planning this trip for weeks though. By the way, what's with the blue hair?"

"Long story… I was trying to avoid Monroe and, this is what I got for it."

Leaves rustle behind us, then I hear "What about me?"

Freddie grimaces and walks into his tent. I throw my hands in the air and groan. "What the hell is she doing here? Al, you told me she wouldn't be here…"

He shoots a glare at James. "She wasn't SUPPOSED to be here…"

I shake my head. "Well I'm not sharing a tent with her!"

She sneers and grabs James' hand. "Oh don't worry. I'm going to share a tent with Jamie Wamie here." They walk into their tent, but not before Monroe can flip me off.

I turn to Al. "Any more surprises?"

He looks behind me and grins. "Only one."

I turn around, half expecting Ashlynn Silverton to be standing behind me. Instead I see Landen, who is carrying a tent and wearing a grin.

I smirk and give him a hug. "Landen, you have impeccable timing."

He laughs and sets up his tent. "I do what I can…"

From inside his tent, Freddie yells "Would you lot get in here already? We have LOADS to catch up on!"

We all laugh and walk into Freddie's tent.

(Break)

After we all finish the dinner Freddie made for us, Al pulls out a deck of cards.

Freddie grins. "Strip poker? Again Al?"

I groan and shake my head. "No… I'm dreadful at poker! You lot remember winter holiday last year! I was the first one in my knickers!"

Al laughs and puts the cards away. "That's right! You really are horrid at poker... How about we play-"

Al is interrupted my Monroe's shrill voice. "Oh Jamie Wamie, you're SO sweet!"

James' voice rings out after hers. "Mony Wony, you are just too cute!"

Al and Freddie dramatically pretend to hurl. I look over to Landen and he grimaces. "If I have to listen to this all night I'm going to lose it…"

I smirk. "Lose what? Your dinner?"

Al laughs. "Your mind?"

Freddie grins. "Your cool?"

Landen sighs and chuckles. "If they keep it up it's going to be all of the above! It physically pains me to have to listen to it!"

We all look around at each other and break into a fit of giggles. We catch our breath and I look at Al with a devious grin. "Guys, I have an idea…"

**James' POV**

_I am walking through the forbidden forest with Freddie, that asshole Carter Cass, and a couple of girls I don't know. We come to the outside of a clearing and see hundreds of Death Eaters encircling the clearing. There are a few of them lying lifelessly in a crater across from me. In the middle of the clearing is Carter's father. He is standing, with his wand pointed in front of him, in front of a blonde girl who is chained to a post. He has blood seeping from his cheek, suggesting the girl on the post wasn't caught without putting up a fight._

_Carter's father leans forward and says something to the girl. She responds by spitting on him and letting out a rage filled scream. Cass brings the back of his hand colliding into the girls face. Her head jerks to the side, blood spraying from her mouth and revealing her face. It's Ariana!_

_Ariana spits out a bit of blood in her mouth then turns back to Cass with a smile on her bloody lips. "Is that all you've got? You hit like my grandma…"_

_I let out a low laugh and continue watching. Cass snarls and says, "You're lucky the Dark Lord wants you alive. I would end your life right here and now if that weren't the case, Ariana Brighton. Until then, I get to have my fun with you. CRUCIO!"_

_Ariana clenches her teeth together with eyes wide, trying to hold in cries of pain. I look around desperately. I know I have to do something, I just don't know what. If we attack Cass, the other Death Eaters will surely kill all of us AND Ariana…_

_Cass laughs evilly. "What's wrong little girl, no smart ass comments left? Shame, really. I thought you would be a more adverse foe. Now, you shall endure the same pain your father did before I killed him! CRUCIO!" He waves his wand and yells his curse with more feeling this time, causing a small cry of pain to escape her lips. Cass smiles at the slight glimpse of weakness. The look on Ariana's face shows the excruciating pain she is feeling. He releases her and cackles, and lets out another anger-filled crucio, red sparks flying at Ariana. This time he breaks her; she cries out, agonizing pain filling her face. Her feet lift off the ground and her arms bend as her body gives way under the pain._

_Her mouth opens up and she shrieks "JAMES!"_

_No… wait… that was Monroe's voice…_

_I look around for Monroe but I can't find her anywhere._

"JAMES!"

I jerk my eyes open and quickly jump out of my bunk bed. The shriek sounds again. "**JAMES!"**

I run out of my tent and see Ariana, Landen, Freddie and Al all looking up and laughing. I follow their gaze and gasp. Monroe's bed is up in the treetops with two ropes supporting her. She is splayed out on the bed looking down. She is so far up I can barely make out the look of fear on her face. Barely.

I wave my wand and try to bring her bed down but she won't sit still so it's really difficult. I glare over to the others, who are still laughing. "Would one of you prats possibly be able to help me?"

Al holds up his hands and laughs. "Not me, mate."

Freddie mimics him and shakes his head with a laugh. "Not it."

Landen shrugs. "I can't stand her, so I'm out."

Ariana throws her hands in the air and groans. "FINE." She pulls out her wand and steadies the bed. We slowly bring Monroe back to the ground.

As soon as her mattress touches the forest floor, Monroe launches off of it and wraps her arms around my neck. I rub her back and sigh. "How did you even get up there?"

She lets go of my neck and whirls around, her brown hair spinning wildly. She points at Ariana aggressively. "THAT BITCH PUT ME UP THERE!"

Ariana shrugs her shoulders with a laugh. "I got you back down didn't I?"

I sigh and shake my head. "Why can't you two just be friends? Ariana, you could really use a girl to talk to and be friends with…"

Monroe scoffs. "I won't be friends with her! I don't want to die!"

I look at her questioningly. "Why would you die if you were friends with her?"

Monroe rolls her eyes and sighs. "Because! All the girls who were friends with her before are dead now!"

**Ari's POV**

I can feel the anger welling up inside as I register what she said. I see Al shake his head and he says "Nice, Monroe… Real nice…"

James rolls his eyes and walks back into his tent. Monroe shrugs her shoulders and looks at me. "It's true, isn't it little slut?"

I remain quiet, my fists clenched tightly at my side. I clench my teeth and take a deep breath. My anger is rising to the surface, just seconds from exploding. Al steps forward. "Monroe stop."

She ignores Al and takes a step closer to me. "It is true, huh? You're the reason that Bella, Rachelle and Astoria are dead?"

I see Freddie flinch at the sound of Bella's name and I break my silence. "MONROE! SHUT UP!"

"Or what? What are you going to do?"

I close my eyes and take a deep breath to try and calm down. She continues. "Are you going to kill me like you did them?"

I open my eyes and punch her in the nose. "SHUT UP ALREADY! Bloody hell!"

She shrieks and clasps her hands over her nose. "James!"

James pokes his head out of his tent and groans. "What happened now?"

Freddie scoffs. "Your bloody girlfriend was being a right bitch. Ariana hit her. She got what she deserved."

Blood is now running through Monroe's fingers and she's crying. James glares at me. "You hit her?"

I flip him off and walk off into the woods. I've been trying to work on my anger problems but that girl really knows how to irk me. I push through some low hanging branches and find a long river flowing into a large, clear lake with a huge, flat, grey rock in the middle of it.

I hear someone walking through the trees behind me so I quickly run and dive into the lake. I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone. I'm still trying to cool down! I pull myself under a jutted out rock and place on of my palms against the bottom of it. I slowly peek out from under the rock and see James standing at the edge of the lake. He has his hands cupped around his mouth and he is looking around. If I had been smart, I would have used the bubble-head charm before I jumped in here. But I didn't… So now my lungs are starting to burn as I run out of air.

James drops his hands and walks away. I wait until he's completely disappeared from my view and then use the rock I'm hiding under to propel myself up. My head breaks the surface and I gasp for air. "Bloody hell…" I let out a laugh and swim to the flat rock in the middle of the lake. I pull myself onto it and lie back.

I close my eyes for only a moment before I hear "I knew I would find you eventually."

I let out a sigh. "What do you want James?"

"We need to talk. Can you come over here please?"

I laugh and shake my head. "Not going to happen. If you want to talk you're going to have to swim out here."

He groans and jumps in the water. "Why do you enjoy annoying me?"

I grin widely. "Because your girlfriend is a bitch and you let her annoy me. I just figure I can return the favor."

He slaps his hands onto the rock and pulls himself up. "Seriously though. Why are you so impossible?"

I open my eyes and shake my head with a sigh. "Because your bitchy girlfriend doesn't let you hang out with me anymore. The last time I got to hang out with you, JUST YOU, was before… your accident… so you won't even remember…"

He shrugs. "Nope. Sorry…" He lies back and says "I really wish you two could get along. She is an absolute lovely person."

I scoff and sit up, looking out across the lake. "MERLIN! I WISH YOU COULD HEAR YOURSELF! I WISH you could remember her from before! I wish you could open your DAMN eyes and see what a BITCH she is! And it's not just to me! She's a real twat to Freddie and Al too! But you don't care, do you? As long as you have your 'Mony Wony', right? Merlin, she has you under a bloody spell or something!" I stand up on the rock and look at him. "This was a great talk James. I'm _really _feeling better now. Thanks… Asshole…" With that I turn away from him and dive off from the rock.

I pull myself out of the lake and stomp back to the tents. I can hear James calling after me but I don't care. I may have still liked him before, but not anymore. I can't stand the new James. In fact, I don't want to have anything to do with him.


End file.
